How to effectively move from vision to strategic execution? In a context of constant change and a lack of engagement among teams, an increasing number of organizations in France are turning to the OKR method (Objectives & Key Results) to concretely implement their business strategy.
The OKR method aims to Aligning and engaging the teams around clear and measurable objectives, at Prioritize actions while ensuring agile management, and Holding each employee accountable in the contribution to the organization’s vision.
On the occasion of the’OKR Forum France 2025, Raphaël Kattan, Associate Director at talenco, collected the testimonies of two executives who implemented the OKR method in their respective companies: Pierre Hiraclides, CEO of illi&co, and Simon David-Boyet, Chief of Staff of Claire Koralewski, DG of Media performances.
OKR’s at the service of strategic execution
Why implement OKRs at illi&co, when you already had goal-setting practices in place?
Pierre Hiraclides: At illi&co, we already had a long-term strategic vision, built around our 2030 business plan, articulated in three dimensions: performance, people, and responsibility. In 2022, we defined ten strategic intentions, then more concrete objectives for 2027. However, these elements remained too abstract to guide our employees’ daily lives.
We needed a tool that would translate this vision into quarterly operational priorities that were visible and shared. This is where OKRs emerged as a relevant solution: they allow us to reorienting attention towards a limited number of priorities, aligning the COMEX, middle managers and employees, and above all creating an agile working rhythm with quarterly cycles.
What motivated the choice of the OKR method at Médiaperformances?
Simon David-Boyet: Our context was a bit different. Media performances was going through a major transformation phase, with a new governance, the arrival of a new CEO, Claire Coraleski, and an ambition to internationalize.
Furthermore, we were reviewing our business model, strengthening our data and tech expertise. In this context, it was necessary to structure this transformation, clarify the priorities, and above all, create cross-departmental alignment.
The OKR method has established itself as an effective framework for structuring, measuring and managing this new strategic roadmap, while allowing for commitment at all levels of the company.
You both mention the need to align long-term vision with short-term execution. Is that the main challenge of OKRs?
Pierre Hiraclides: Absolutely. Before, we had a clear long-term vision, but the difficulty was translating that vision into concrete, prioritized actions on a daily basis. The OKRs helped us build this bridge between the 2030 strategy and the operational actions from 2024, 2025, etc.
Simon David-Boyet: Yes, and beyond that, it allowed us to build a collective around the new governance. OKR’s have been a powerful lever to bring teams together, clarify responsibilities, and establish a regular rhythm. of exchanges and arbitrations.
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From vision to execution of your strategies
The concrete benefits of the OKR method
What concrete benefits have you observed in the use of OKRs at Médiaperformances?
Simon David-Boyet: The first benefit was the transversality of the issues. Thanks to OKRs, we were able to clearly identify which directions were driving each strategic project. This strengthened collaboration among the teams and allowed us to focus resources on the real priorities.
Then, Transparency This was a major asset: the global OKRs are accessible to all employees via the intranet, which promotes understanding of the strategy and engagement.
Finally, responsibility has become clearer: each OKR has an identified sponsor, which makes it easier to monitor and take initiative.
What are the benefits you have derived from the OKR method at illi&co?
Pierre Hiraclides: The first effect was to free the discourse within the COMEX. Building the OKRs forced us to sincerely discuss priorities, which was not always obvious before. This has enabled clarify the strategy and align everyone.
Then, we were able to put in place Transversal OKRs, This has led to shared responsibilities and sometimes duplications. We have therefore reorganized certain processes to clarify roles.
Finally, the method helped us establish a culture of results, By evaluating each project based on its added value and the effort required. This has led us to make concessions, which is always difficult but essential.
Prioritization is often cited as one of the «superpowers» of OKRs. Have you managed to give up on certain projects in order to focus better?
Pierre Hiraclides: Yes, clearly. The definition of OKRs has made it possible to putting things that were priority into black and white And what was not. This created sometimes lively discussions, especially when an important project for a hub did not correspond to the company’s priorities. Thanks to OKRs, these renunciations have become formal and shared, This makes it easier to manage resources and prevents dispersion.
Simon David-Boyet: I agree. OKR formalizes the prioritization, This is very healthy. Without it, some projects can drag on without ever being officially stopped. With OKRs, there is a discipline that forces you to make decisions, to say no, and to focusing resources on the validated priorities.
Transparency and ownership of OKRs within the company
How do you manage the visibility of OKRs in your organization? Do all employees have access to them?
Simon David-Boyet: We chose to adopt a partial transparency model. The company’s overall OKRs are visible to everyone on the intranet, This allows everyone to understand the overall strategy.
Then, each department develops its own OKRs. These are accessible for read-only by the members of the management team and the employees of the relevant department, but not by the entire company. This granularity allows for the protection of certain sensitive information while maintaining good transparency.
What is your transparency policy at illi&co?
Pierre Hiraclides: We have a policy that is quite similar. The corporate and branch OKRs are accessible for read-only use by all employees via a dedicated tool, Mooncamp. We conduct quarterly reviews using a simple system of smileys to indicate the progress of key results.
This transparency fosters commitment and collective understanding. On the other hand, individual OKRs are not visible to everyone, which remains an area for improvement for us.
The challenges encountered in the deployment of OKRs
What are the main challenges or limitations you have encountered in implementing OKRs?
Pierre Hiraclides: A major challenge was the management of the volume of OKRs. We have found that by trying to use OKRs for business management as well as usual, With so many OKRs, we lost our focus and visibility. We ended up with around 80 to 90 OKRs, which is probably too many.
The question remains open: should OKRs be used solely for new and strategic topics or also for day-to-day operational management? This is a topic we continue to work on.
At Médiaperformances, have you encountered similar difficulties when implementing the OKR method?
Simon David-Boyet: We had to learn, above all, to Integrate the OKR rituals in an already very busy schedule, especially at COMEX. Ritualization is essential for OKRs to live up to their expectations and deliver results., But it is necessary to adapt the frequency and format of meetings to the reality of the company.
Here at our company, we have chosen to integrate the tracking of OKRs into the existing weekly and bi-weekly meetings, in order to avoid adding to the workload of the managers.
You mention the difficulty of keeping OKRs alive over the long term. What are your tips for maintaining this momentum?
Simon David-Boyet: It is necessary a strong sponsor, Ideally at the level of the COMEX, which is leading the initiative. At Médiaperformances, it’s the Chief of Staff He plays the role of facilitator, facilitator and guarantor of the smooth running of the OKR cycles. He ensures the management of reporting, the animation of the rituals, and ensures that the OKRs remain relevant and alive.
Pierre Hiraclides: I confirm this. At illi&co, I was myself an OKR coach at first, which is not ideal. We quickly felt the need to Recruiting an Chief of Staff Dedicated to ensure this function.
A external support It is also very valuable in order not to deviate from the method and to benefit from an objective view.
The involvement of management and the adaptation of the OKR method
How did you involve the middle management in the OKR approach?
Pierre Hiraclides: It is a key question. The success of OKRs depends on the COMEX, but also on middle management.
At illi&co, every priority has a sponsor at the COMEX, and «KR" owners »At the level of middle managers. However, the employees’ ownership remains to be strengthened. We are working to better communicate OKRs at the individual level, so that everyone understands their contribution.
Simon David-Boyet: We share this analysis. The middle management is the natural channel for bringing OKRs to life. We organized a OKR training and workshops to help them adopt this new posture, particularly regarding prioritization and accountability.
The adaptation of the method is also important: OKRs should not be applied « by the book »in letter form, but adjust them to the culture and constraints of the company.
Can you give us concrete examples of your adaptations of the OKR method?
Pierre Hiraclides: We have Limit the number of OKRs per department to 2 or 3, Although the company has a total of 7 departments, this allows each team to have a clear scope without being overwhelmed. We have also defined three major parallel projects: business, human resources, and CSR, with OKRs distributed across these areas. This organization has helped us stay focused.
Simon David-Boyet: We have OKR tracking integrated into existing instances, such as the weekly meetings of the COMEX and the semi-annual meetings with all the employees. We use a standardized Excel file for reporting, which is sufficient for us today.
We avoid adding too many rituals so as not to overload our managers. The key is to have regular but effective points.
The advice of our witnesses to put OKRs to work in strategic execution
What advice would you give to leaders who hesitate to implement OKRs in their organization?
Simon David-Boyet:
The first advice is that the leader must be the main sponsor of the OKRs. Without strong commitment from top management, the approach cannot succeed.
Then, it is necessary to put in place Regular routines of animation and follow-up so that the OKRs can come to life.
Finally, It is crucial to be accompanied, especially at the beginning., To better understand the method and avoid common mistakes.
Pierre Hiraclides: I would add three essential points. First, make OKRs a topic of discussion at COMEX: Every member must speak the OKR language fluently!
Then, choose one Chief of Staff or a dedicated person to lead the process.
Finally, accept that implementation takes time. We saw benefits as early as the first season, but it takes two to three years for the approach to be fully integrated and embraced by everyone, including the employees.
What is the biggest unexpected benefit you have derived from the OKR method?
Pierre Hiraclides: For me, it’s about untying the languages. OKRs have provoked discussions frank and necessary on the priorities, which might not have taken place otherwise.
Simon David-Boyet: At Médiaperformances, the biggest benefit was to structure a new COMEX and to create a new business model. create a much more dynamic and cross-cutting collaboration. It’s real team building in the noble sense of the term.
To remember
The concrete benefits of OKRs: beyond the promises
Our witnesses at illi&co and Médiaperformances highlighted several strengths of the OKR method:
- Alignment and Prioritization: OKR clarify long-term priorities, schedule short-term actions, and facilitate project prioritization. They are particularly useful during new strategic plans, governance changes, or the arrival of new leaders.
- Team cohesion OKR’s promote team cohesion by linking the vision to execution and facilitating transitions.
- Transparency and Responsibility Mediaperformances uses OKRs transparently on its intranet, thus promoting interdepartmental collaboration and a clear identification of project managers. This transparency, although differentiated by department, strengthens the commitment of all employees.
- Identification of tasks to be abandoned OKR allowed the two companies to identify and abandon non-priority projects, thereby freeing up resources and optimizing the allocation of efforts. This process, although challenging, is essential for effective resource management.
- Improved communication At illi&co, OKRs revealed misalignment between the 2025 priorities despite a shared vision for 2030, leading to a clearer definition of the strategy.
Implementing and adapting OKRs: challenges and solutions
Implementing OKRs is not without challenges. illi&co and Médiaperformances had to adapt the methodology to their own context. Here are some key points:
- Executive sponsorship Strong support from management is crucial for the success of OKRs.
- Training and support Adequate training and guidance by an expert (internal or external) are necessary for a successful implementation.
- Adaptation of the rituals Integrating OKR rituals into existing meetings is more effective than creating new rituals.
- Definition of OKRs It is important to clearly define the objectives and key results, with a focus on quantitative indicators.
- Number of OKRs It is important not to overload the system with too many OKRs. A limited number of company-wide objectives, with more detailed breakdowns at the departmental level, is recommended.
In conclusion
This interview testifies to The power of OKRs to move more quickly and effectively from vision to strategic execution in a constantly changing world. The OKR method is not a magic recipe but a Iterative approach which, by aligning efforts and unleashing the potential of teams, can profoundly transform leadership and boost collective performance.
The success of the deployment of OKRs depends on strong commitment from the COMEX, pragmatic adaptation to the corporate culture, a clear prioritization of objectives, shared transparency, and a regular ritualization of follow-up.
For leaders who want to successfully meet this challenge, it is crucial to surround themselves with experts in OKRs (such as talenco), appoint a dedicated pilot… and give yourself the necessary time for the OKR method to take root sustainably !