What are linked or aligned OKRs?

In This Answer

What Are Linked or Aligned OKRs?

Implementing Objectives and Key Results (OKRs) across your organization can drive clarity, focus, and alignment — but only if those OKRs are truly connected. That’s where linked or aligned OKRs come into play.

In this article, we’ll break down what aligned OKRs are, why they matter, how they work in practice, and how to implement them effectively in your company.

What Does It Mean to Link or Align OKRs?

Aligned OKRs are OKRs that are intentionally connected across levels and teams within an organization.

That doesn’t mean copying objectives from one level to another. Instead, it’s about creating a clear thread that shows how team or departmental goals support broader company priorities.

There are two types of alignment:

Vertical alignment: How team or individual OKRs support company or leadership objectives.
Horizontal alignment: How peer teams coordinate and support each other’s goals.

In short: Aligned OKRs ensure everyone is rowing in the same direction — without duplicating efforts or pulling against each other.

Why Alignment Matters in OKR Implementation

Without alignment, OKRs can quickly become disconnected task lists. Teams may work hard on things that don’t actually move the business forward — simply because they lack visibility into how their goals fit the bigger picture.

Aligned OKRs solve this by:

Driving strategic clarity: Every team sees how their efforts contribute to company-wide outcomes.
Improving collaboration: Teams know who they depend on and who depends on them.
Reducing redundancy: Clear alignment avoids teams accidentally working on the same goals in silos.
Boosting engagement: Employees are more motivated when they understand the “why” behind their work.

Examples of Linked OKRs

Here’s how alignment might work in practice for a company focused on launching a new product:

Company-Level Objective:
Successfully launch Product X and achieve €2M in revenue by Q4.

Marketing OKR (Vertically Aligned):
Drive 100K qualified leads for Product X through paid and organic campaigns.

Sales OKR (Vertically Aligned):
Close 300 new deals for Product X with an average deal size of €7,000.

Customer Success OKR (Horizontally Aligned with Sales):
Achieve a 90% onboarding satisfaction score for Product X users in Q4.

Each team works toward its own goals — but those goals are connected and collectively drive the company objective forward.

How to Link OKRs Effectively

To get the full benefit of alignment, you need a clear process for linking OKRs during the planning cycle.

1. Start With Strategy

Company leadership defines top-level strategic objectives for the quarter or year. These should be clear, measurable, and outcome-driven — not vague aspirations.

2. Cascade With Context, Not Control

Departments and teams should write their own OKRs in response to the company goals — but with full context. This ensures goals are relevant and motivating, not forced.

Encourage leaders to ask:

“How can our team best support this objective?”
“What measurable outcome would prove we’re helping move it forward?”

3. Review for Alignment

Before finalizing OKRs, conduct a cross-functional alignment session. Ensure:

Department OKRs support company goals
No key objectives are unsupported
Dependencies and overlaps are visible

4. Maintain Visibility

Use an OKR software or shared dashboard to make linked OKRs transparent across the organization. This helps teams stay connected and spot misalignments early.

Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

Copy-paste OKRs: Alignment doesn’t mean duplication. Teams should tailor OKRs to their role.
Over-alignment: Teams should have space to pursue meaningful work beyond top-level directives.
Hidden dependencies: If teams don’t communicate early, key initiatives may fail due to lack of support.

The goal is not micromanagement, but strategic coordination.