TECHNOLOGY
50 better than me ,” he explains . “ People used to write reports and ask for approval on what they were doing , but now we say ‘ if you can turn this around , we don ’ t really care what you ’ re doing – we care what results you ’ re achieving .’” Spreadshirt now uses a system called Objectives and Key Results ( OKR ), which is used by the likes of Google and LinkedIn , to empower various teams . Objectives for the quarter are agreed among directors and it ’ s up to individuals and teams to go away and achieve these however they see fit . “ That ’ s the only way to manage a complex international business ,” says Rooke .
OKR allows empowerment to run right through the business . “ People take responsibility . They care . They like the freedom of being able to think about how they can do things differently . Teams and individuals can really take ownership of what they ’ re doing .” This is vital when as CEO , Rooke lives on a different continent to some of his teams and might only see them a few times a year . Having trust and empowerment in place means C-level executives have their time freed up to communicate where it matters . “ When I ’ m talking to the Las Vegas factory , I ’ m
DECEMBER 2018