Clear Prioritization Through Performance Management

At the beginning of 2019, Blocket had a new three-year strategy in place. But to make it actionable, they needed a performance management model tailored to their needs. Here’s how they created clarity, alignment, and real results.

Our performance management approach has helped us stay focused on a shared objective. It creates engagement and momentum while guiding our priorities.

Pernilla Nissler, former CEO
Blocket

The Challenge

A Method Without the Right Fit

Blocket is Sweden’s largest marketplace — connecting buyers and sellers across everything from furniture and electronics to cars and jobs.

In 2019, the company launched a new three-year strategy and introduced the OKR methodology to operationalize it. But the approach didn’t provide the right conditions for success. The organization lacked shared prioritization, and collaboration between business areas and functions needed strengthening.

OKRs were perceived as more focused on activity than outcomes. What Blocket needed was a performance management model designed for its specific structure and goals.

The work began with a review of Blocket’s governance and follow-up processes — identifying strengths to build on and gaps to address.

The leadership team made more focused decisions about which objectives to prioritize, and what actions were needed to support them. This gave business units and functions greater clarity on their role and contributions.

Stronger cross-functional collaboration followed, especially where multiple teams were jointly responsible for key actions. The follow-up process was also redesigned to ensure that progress was analyzed in the right forums and that the broader organization received regular, clear feedback.

The Solution

Sharper Priorities and Stronger Follow-Up

The Results

Alignment from Strategy to Action

Blocket’s 2019 performance management model defined one key impact and four supporting drivers, each tracked with a set of KPIs. The prioritized impact — “Back to organic growth” — was successfully achieved with a +4% outcome.

The four drivers addressed areas such as customer experience, internal processes, and employee engagement. While not all were fully met, each contributed meaningfully to the overall result.

Today, Blocket continues to use its governance model to maintain focus on the most critical strategic shifts — and ensure that performance stays aligned. These shifts are translated into clear implications for each part of the business, so everyone understands how their work contributes to the company’s success.

Thanks to a structured model, a shared objective, and transparent follow-ups, the entire organization is moving in sync. Performance outcomes are shared monthly and are an active part of Blocket’s internal dialogue and decision-making.