Challenge
From Legacy Processes to Strategic Alignment
Union Wireless, a 110-year-old telecom provider operating across five Rocky Mountain states, faced growing pains typical of mid-sized businesses. With every part of the business managed in-house—from marketing to building cell towers—the company struggled with:
- Departmental Silos: Teams operated in isolation with limited communication.
- Misaligned Priorities: Efforts and resources weren’t consistently tied to overarching goals.
- Lack of Visibility: Employees had little understanding of how their work impacted the company’s success.
- Outdated Tools: Project management relied heavily on manual processes and incomplete execution.
“A lot of projects would reach 80% completion, but go no further. OKRs helped us understand what contingencies exist and how to complete things in the right order.” — Tressa Barnes, Marketing Director
The Solution: Cross-Functional OKRs With Built-in Accountability
Union Wireless partnered with Wave Nine to launch an OKR transformation. This included executive coaching, internal OKR facilitator training, and full rollout via WorkBoard.
Instead of managing OKRs within silos, leaders were rotated across departments to facilitate OKRs outside their usual scope, which fostered empathy and transparency.
Wave Nine helped Union Wireless:
- Build strong OKR habits and team rituals
- Develop a robust internal coach program
- Align every employee, from field workers to executives, with clear Key Results
- Move from high-level talk to tangible, measurable execution
- Implement structured weekly and monthly business reviews
“OKRs brought cohesion that I don’t believe ever existed in the company. Even skeptics became advocates after seeing the results.” — David Ricley, Director of Customer Care
Results
- Long-forgotten initiatives were finally completed
- Everyone—from directors to non-desk workers—gained visibility into company priorities
- Silos were broken down, making way for honest, cross-functional collaboration
- Execution cadence improved dramatically through weekly calibration and Friday wins meetings
“Wave Nine walked us hand-in-hand through our adoption. Whether working with the C-Suite or individual managers, they rolled up their sleeves.” — David Ricley
