Open-book management, developed at Springfield Remanufacturing Corporation (SRC) by entrepreneur Jack Stack in the early 80s, is an effective management strategy that encourages employees to think like business owners and has proven to drive financial results and lasting cultural change in organizations of all types. The Great Game of Business – the company spun from Jack Stack’s best-selling book of the same title – shares their proven formula for financial and strategic planning.

Springfield, MO – January 20, 2014. The Great Game of Business, Inc. invites business leaders and entrepreneurs to visit legendary open-book company, Springfield Remanufacturing Corporation (SRC), to learn the company’s proven formula for involving the entire company in the annual strategic plan at their upcoming High-Involvement Planning Workshop.

The Origins of Open-Book Management

There are very few people who know that Springfield, Missouri is the birthplace of open-book management. It all started at SRC, which employs about 1,500 employees at 14 core divisions; most of which are involved in re-manufacturing or joint ventures with companies such as Case New Holland. The Great Game of Business, Inc., the smallest division of SRC, was established to handle a high demand for company tours 25 years ago as business leaders learned about open-book management. Today, The Great Game of Business has grown into the largest and most well-known resource for open-book management training and education.

The book, The Great Game of Business, - authored by SRC’s president & CEO, Jack Stack – was originally published in 1992 and is the story of SRC and open-book management.

The secret to success with The Great Game of Business, is that the model goes beyond simply opening the books and sharing company financials. Their methodology offers a bottom-up management system that educates, engages and empowers employees to become a part of the business’ success.

High-Involvement Planning

One vital aspect of Great Game’s success is, “High-Involvement Planning,” SRC’s formula for bringing the annual financial and strategic planning process to the people that actually execute the plan day-to-day. During High-Involvement Planning, SRC creates and communicates a plan for what the organization will look like one, five and even 10 years into the future.

“Putting your targets out there isn’t the conclusion,” Stack states in a recent blog on Great Game’s website,” It’s just the beginning. It’s one thing to listen to your sales team about the kind of potential that’s out there for your organization, but it’s another thing altogether to focus on the details about how you will be able to execute on that plan.”

While nearly every company has a process for establishing a long-term financial plan, SRC’s template is unique in that it offers a pattern and communication process that is uncommon in traditional strategic plans.

The Great Game of Business invites business leaders to learn SRC’s proven strategic planning process at the High-Involvement Planning Workshop, held February 24 and 25, 2015 at SRC’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. This workshop is designed to equip companies with tools, practices and know-how necessary to implement and sustain a high-involvement planning process that consistently involves, informs and educates the entire organization on the realities of the marketplace and the strategic goals of the company.

Participants at this event will take away proprietary tools aimed at guiding them through processes such as contingency evaluation, SWOT analysis, financial forecasting and bottom-up financial planning

Interested companies can find out more about the event on Great Game’s website or by calling 1-800-386-2752.

About The Great Game of Business, Inc.

The Great Game of Business, Inc. was established to help companies implement the open-book management practices outlined in the book The Great Game of Business. We are the educational wing of SRC Holdings Corporation, where the business philosophy of open-book management was developed by President and CEO, Jack Stack, more than 30 years ago.

Originally established to handle a high-demand for company tours and visits after the book’s release, The Great Game of Business, Inc. is now the largest and most well-known resource for open-book management training and education.

The Great Game of Business provides expert training and coaching services as well as an annual conference for companies interested in implementing open-book management in their organization. The Great Game of Business, Inc. has hosted more than 6,000 companies around the world — including Southwest Airlines, Harley-Davidson and Whole Foods Market. For more information, visit greatgame.com.