Strategy translated into team-sized goals turns ambiguity into action
Slider versus Burger size
When ING Netherlands flipped its organisation to agile in 2015, squads of about nine people were asked to turn big strategic priorities into short, testable outcomes and near-term goals. It was not a tech fad. It was a disciplined way to cut through ambiguity. The shift gave teams clearer ownership, faster decisions and visible progress, helping ING boost time-to-market and engagement across its retail bank. (1)
In turnarounds more broadly, HBR documents how small, empowered teams translate strategy into weekly commitments that deliver measurable results at speed. (2)
Why does breaking strategy into team-sized goals work so well? Because clarity beats confusion. Locke and Latham’s decades of research show that specific and stretching goals outperform vague “do your best” intentions. (3) On the flip side, when role expectations are fuzzy, affective engagement drops and so does extra-role performance. (4) It is no surprise that strategy often unravels in the handoff to execution; even senior and middle managers struggle to name the top priorities, which explains the yawning execution gap (5).
The Strategy - to - Action Ladder
Evidence suggests that making goals and progress visible at the team level also improves transparency and knowledge sharing. Studies of OKR practice report benefits in coordination, prioritisation and openness when teams define and review their own OKRs aligned to enterprise priorities. (6) This matters because clarity of expectations is a foundational driver of engagement and performance. (7)
Goal Setting using the well worn S.M.A.R.T. only takes your goals so far... try S.M.O.O.T.H.E.R.: click here for more information.
The High-Performing Manager
Middle managers are the crucial translators. Keep your burger in play:
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Vague initiatives multiply.
Priorities conflict.
Activity metrics swell.
Outcome metrics stall.
Engagement suffers as people cannot see their impact. (8) We have known this for a decade, yet execution still unravels when priorities are unclear and coordination is weak. (9)
When you translate strategy into team-sized goals, you reduce ambiguity, lift energy and accelerate execution. The ladder makes it visible. The burger keeps it human. Your job is to be the translator who turns intent into impact, one crisp rung at a time.
Let me know how you get on. And if you or your team need a goal setting, planning or prioritising session, I'd love to help.
Source:
1. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/financial-services/our-insights/ings-agile-transformation
2. https://hbr.org/2018/07/how-agile-teams-can-help-turnarounds-succeed
4.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02292/full
5.https://hbr.org/2015/03/why-strategy-execution-unravelsand-what-to-do-about-it
6. https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3592813.3592934
7. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/285674/improve-employee-engagement-workplace.aspx
8. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.02292/full
9. https://hbr.org/2015/03/why-strategy-execution-unravelsand-what-to-do-about-it
