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SPECTRUM – APPLIED RESEARCH 46 / UdZ 2-2021 bjectives and Key Results (OKR) is an operational management system made famous by Google that impro- ves prioritization capability as well as communication and transparency in the company, measures performance in a tangib- le way and strengthens the commitment of em- ployees in order to support the achievement of corporate goals 1 . Small and medium-sized enter- prises (SMEs) in particular still rely on traditional management systems, often in conjunction with annually conducted target agreements as part of staff appraisals. The speed and volatility of busi- ness development, which many companies now face, can quickly render medium- and long-term agreed targets obsolete. The example of econo- mic development during the COVID-19 pandemic reinforces this trend. Target agreements that are designed for an entire year hardly do justice to reality and motivate employees only to a limited extent. With the agile management system OKR it is possible to define goals in a transparent and ob- jectively measurable way. This is a way to overco- me the challenges of classic management systems quickly, elegantly and successfully. The Management System from Silicon Valley: Economic Opportunities for German Companies In German SMEs, four out of five digitization projects fail. It is true that SMEs often strive to initiate a large number of pilot projects in the area of digitization. However, these are often carried out in isolation, which is why only twenty percent of projects are successful 2 . Fueled by the COVID-19 pandemic, companies in Germany have recognized the urgency of identifying opportunities for digitization projects to boost performance within the company. At the same time, the lack of skilled employees with sufficient knowledge to bring digitization to all areas of the company remains the major challenge for small and medium-sized enterprises. Consequently, more and more decision-makers:inside want to transform their companies, drive digitalization, make their companymore attractive todigital-savvy professionals, andmake their management system more agile and responsive 3 . In order to successfully initiate and implement t r a n s f o rma t i o n p r o j e c t s , t r a n s p a r e n t communication, high motivation of employees and effective use of resources are required. The management systemused plays a central role here: OKR has already proven itself as a successful model at Intel, Google and Facebook and has the potential to increase the success rate of digitization projects. At present, however, only a few SMEs in Germany use OKR, even though this method can help align the activities of all employeeswith a common vision and map corporate goals transparently across all hierarchical levels. In addition, OKR enables management to react faster, more flexibly and yet in a targeted manner to a wide variety of business developments 4 . 1 Engelhardt and Möller 2017, p. 30 et seq. 2 Rinn et al. 2019, p. 5 3 Lindner 2019, p. 37 et seqq. 4 Niven and Lamorte 2016, p. 25 46 / UdZ 2- 021 O