Merus Power

Finnish technology company Merus Power set out to strengthen strategic execution and bring clarity to the day-to-day operations of a rapidly growing organization. Support came from the OKRs and Game Plans introduced by Henri Sora’s team and the Tangible Growth method, which together have created shared direction, transparency, and focus. 

Merus Power is a technology company that designs and manufactures lithium-battery-based energy storage systems and power quality solutions. The rapidly growing company was listed on the stock exchange in 2021. 

“We are firmly at the heart of the green transition: our solutions reduce energy consumption and enable the integration of renewable energy into the power grid,” says CEO Kari Tuomala, who has led the company for 17 years.” 

Growth has been rapid. At the time of the interview, Merus Power employs around 170 people and operates not only in Finland, but also in Germany, the United Arab Emirates, Colombia, and Sweden. Its geographical growth strategy in energy storage focuses on Europe – particularly the Nordic countries and Poland – while power quality solutions are delivered globally, with strategic growth markets in Europe, the Middle East, and North America. 

Rapid expansion also brings challenges: a vast number of parallel projects and business lines. As Tuomala puts it: 

“There is design, manufacturing, equipment sales, maintenance, services, international sales—there are countless business activities. What’s essential is identifying what truly matters for the company and ensuring focus.” 

The spark for adopting the OKRsswas ignited when Tuomala read the book Strategia arkeen OKR-mallilla ( Implementing OKRs) by Henri Sora and Juuso Hämäläinen. 

“I bought the book as a Christmas gift for the management team. At first, we tried to roll out the model on our own, but we quickly realized that an external expert would accelerate the process and bring valuable perspective.” 

Collaboration with Henri Sora’s team began in late 2023 and has been characterized by close interaction. According to Tuomala, expert support was crucial to success. 

“Henri is bold enough to say when it’s time to stop clinging to irrelevant things. That has helped us sharpen our focus. His style fits very well with the way we work.” 

The Tangible Growth tool was introduced right from the start and proved to be a key enabler. The shared, visual platform helps translate strategy into action by making objectives, progress, and dependencies visible across all levels of the organization. 

“It’s hard to imagine where we’d be without implementing TG. The tool has brought transparency and traceability.” 

A key driver in accelerating strategic work has been HR and Strategy Manager Maiju Leppänen, who participated in the five-day OKR Professional Coach training crafted by OKR Mentors and led by Henri Sora.  

“I’ve worked with OKRs before, but the training allowed me to dive deeper into how the ideas work for us. The OKR philosophy is always the same, but there are many ways to implement it,” Leppänen explains. 

In 2026, Leppänen moved into a full-time OKR Lead role, where her main responsibility is to direct the execution of the company’s strategy and further develop the operating model of the company.  

Establishing a dedicated role to OKR is a strong way for Merus Power to ensure that strategy progresses consistently throughout the organization. Strategy will also be more tightly integrated into onboarding, so that a shared direction is clear from day one. 

“People are motivated when they feel they are part of something bigger. The Game Plans, OKRs and Tangible Growth help make the significance of each person’s work visible in relation to the organization’s overall mission.” 

The objectives set for the collaboration have been met with excellent results. The first goal was to bring workloads to a sustainable level. According to Tuomala, resourcing has improved significantly, while unnecessary work has decreased and focus on the right priorities has increased. 

“The goal isn’t for OKRs to take time, but to give time back. When priorities are clear, work becomes easier. A positive momentum has started to build, and enthusiasm continues to grow,” Tuomala says. 

Currently, the OKRs, Game Plansand Tangible Growth are used by approximately two-thirds of the organization, with the aim of embedding them as a core way of working across the entire company. Practices are being refined both at the team level and within leadership processes. 

Close collaboration with Henri Sora’s team continues. Leppänen meets with the experts every two weeks and engages in OKR discussions with management at least once a month. 

“Next year, we’ll develop new ways to further increase transparency. The method  has already delivered a great deal of value, and now we’re ready to bring it into the everyday work of all our 20-plus teams.”