About - The Gathering All-Star Awards | The Great Game of Business

At the 27^th Annual Gathering of Games Conference, The Great Game of Business will announce the 19th annual All-Star Award Team and All-Star Champions! This prestigious award recognizes and celebrates the remarkable achievements of companies from around the globe that have fully embraced the principles of open-book management and The Great Game of Business, and have demonstrated outstanding results.

The inspiration for the All-Star Awards came from the pioneers of open-book management themselves. This recognition program was created in 2001 to highlight the companies on the leading edge of this innovative management practice, who have discovered first-hand that when you harness the collective wisdom of your people, great things can and do happen.

But as Great Game practitioners know - it’s not just about generating profits, cash and wealth, but also about distributing it for the good of everyone involved. Therefore, All-Star players must embody a spirit of generosity and a willingness to openly spread the word to help each other succeed. That is the essence of the annual All-Star Awards.

The Awards

In addition to the coveted All-Star Champion Awards, The Great Game of Business will confer three additional awards:

Rookie of the Year – This award recognizes those companies that have been practicing open-book management and The Great Game of Business for less than two years, but have already achieved some remarkable results.

Social Sector Award – This award honors a social sector organization -a not-for-profit, education, government entity - playing the Great Game of Business at a high level, proving that The Game can be effective and impactful in all types of organizations.

Hall of Fame Inductee – The Hall of Fame honors organizations that have operated using the principles of open-book management for more than a decade with lasting, proven results, and have demonstrated a willingness to spread the word on open-book management in order to help others succeed.

Who Should Apply?

Any organization, small or large, for-profit or non-profit, that operates using the principles of open-book management and The Great Game of Business are invited to apply.

There are only two application requirements:

The organization must have been operating using the principles of open-book management and The Great Game of Business for a minimum of six (6) months for the Rookie of the Year or Social Sectors Award, and two (2) full years in order to be eligible for the All-Star Awards.

The organization must have a minimum of five (5) full-time or part-time employees.

Why Apply?

Recognition. What organization couldn't use more recognition? As a Great Game of Business practitioner, you already know the value in recognizing and celebrating company-wide accomplishments. The All-Star Awards are a public acknowledgement that your company is unique - an organization that runs their business in a way that includes trust, business education and involvement, shared risks and shared rewards, and open communication. It’s your chance to let everyone know what you have achieved. Send out a press release, tweet about it, make t-shirts, call your local business journal or TV station, hang banners, make a YouTube video of the celebration. Go ahead, do what you do best… Recognize and celebrate the win!

Evaluation. Remember it’s about continuous learning. Use the process to evaluate how you’re doing in practicing open-book management. Reflect on what’s working and what’s not, listen to your employees, review the ‘Practice Scorecard,’ and see where improvements can be made. Let’s face it; we all want to know how we stack up to the ‘Best of the Best’ – that’s how we get better!

It’s all FREE. Who says nothing is free?!? Each finalist will become part of an exclusive All-Star Team and will receive:

results of their employee surveys indicating the strengths and weakness of their open-book management practices

an industry-focused financial benchmarking tool

a written case study highlighting their story and results from practicing The Great Game of Business

and promotion by GGOB throughout the year

Additionally, All-Star Champions will receive:

a highlight video, documenting their Great Game journey and accomplishments

on-stage recognition by Jack Stack at a trophy presentation during the Annual Gathering of Games conference

Application Process

The first step is to fill out the Nomination Form. After your nomination has been reviewed and approved, we will provide you with instructions on how to complete the full application process, which includes:

Entry Form - outlining your Game and the successes you have achieved.

Financial Worksheet - highlighting your sales growth over the last five years, including benchmarking data as available.

Employee Surveys - administered online to all employees [participation threshold must be met].

Additional collateral material, including pictures or other documentation of Huddles, scoreboards, MiniGames, etc.

How do we choose the ‘Best of the Best’?

We understand that ‘Winning is a Process.’ Open-book management and The Great Game of Business is a journey, not a destination and the degree to which it’s practiced can vary considerably. Therefore, we’re looking for the ‘Best of the Best’ – those organizations who clearly stand-out and can be called ‘The All-Stars.’

We make this challenging decision based on three specific measures:

The voice of the employee. Who knows best if the organization is living the principles of The Great Game of Business than your people? It isn’t about theory -- it’s about practice. So, we use an employee survey to measure how well the organization is living the principles and practices of the Great Game. [Organizations with fewer than 10 employees must ensure the entire workforce completes the survey. Those with more than 11 employees will need at least 70 percent participation.]

The bottom-line business results the organization has achieved. The judges take into consideration the organization’s profit and revenue growth as well as other critical business outcomes and compare those outcomes to their industry peers.

The organization’s ‘Story Behind the Numbers’. Lastly, we want to hear your compelling story! How has the practice of the Great Game of Business changed your company? Has it created a stronger culture and a better place to work? Tell us about your MiniGames™, Huddles, broad-based financial and business education, bonus plans, rewards & recognition program, celebrations, planning processes, scoreboards, etc. We want to hear the play-by-play commentary on how you are improving business results and the lives of the employees who drive those results.

Who are the Judges?

The judges for the All-Star Awards are select members of the Great Game of Business community, including past All-Star winners and Hall of Fame inductees, Great Game pioneers like Jack Stack and Bo Burlingham, and leaders in prominent business media. We can’t think of anyone better to choose the ‘Best of the Best’ in open-book than the folks who live it and those who report on it everyday!

Announcement of Finalists and Winners

The Great Game of Business will announce the list of the All-Star Team in the spring. In September 2019, at the 27^th Annual Gathering of Games Conference in Dallas, TX, the open-book community will honor the All-Star Team and those who earned the coveted All-Star Champion Awards, as well as the Social Sector Award winner, Rookie of the Year, and the Hall of Fame inductee.

If you need additional information or have questions, please contact Donna Petiford or at 1.417.380.5242.