Taking the leap into open-book management and a transparent culture can be intimidating, so we asked the best of the best in open-book why they implemented the Great Game of Business®, and what motivates them to continue investing in The Game.

On Monday, September 15, 2019, thousands of factory workers went on strike. It was the first time the union, the United Auto Workers, or UAW, had called for a work stoppage in a decade. It remains to be seen if and when the strike will have any significant impact on any of the automotive-related businesses at SRC.

Every year, like a little kid, I dread the passing of summer, but in recent years I’ve found a reason to look forward to what follows Labor Day, specifically the Annual Gathering of Games. It’s a special conference where I reconnect with old friends and learn something new – but this year’s Gathering was extra special for me.

In more than 35 years practicing The Great Game of Business® at SRC, as well as three decades helping thousands of companies implement The Game in their own companies, we have determined the fastest, most efficient and most reliable path to Rapid Financial Results and Lasting Cultural Change™ follows a set process. We honed and developed the 10-Step Approach to GGOB Implementation to guide companies implementing The Great Game of Business in their organizations.

When John Costello took the stage on the second day of the 27th Annual Gathering of Games conference, he had already won a bet with his wife, who happened to be in the audience. Costello, the CEO of Cherry’s Industrial, had wagered that it might only be a few minutes into his talk before he’d start crying. He was right. But the tears that Costello shed on stage—which then quickly spread among the 700 rapt audience members—weren’t tears of sadness. They were tears of relief; freedom from a heavy burden that he had been carrying on his shoulders for years.

Knowledge is power, or in its original Latin, “Scientia potentia est.” The saying, attributed to the 16th century writings of Sir Francis Bacon may be a centuries-old sentiment, but the idea has significant applications in today’s business world. A good modern manager should be familiar with the old Latin phrase in its new forms: open-book management and financial transparency. Here’s why transparency in the workplace matters.

Making the decision to write a book isn’t for the faint of heart. For most people, it takes a significant investment of time and sometimes money to pull it off. There’s also the question of why you would ever write a book in the first place. At times, it can seem like a very egocentric exercise: Look at me and what I wrote! And don’t get me started on what happens when people actually read and remember what you wrote – down to the page number and paragraph. They hold you accountable for it. To be honest, I never figured I would ever write another book after Bo Burlingham and I wrote two of them, The Great Game of Business and A Stake in the Outcome back in the 1990s. I had already experienced my moment in the spotlight. What more could I possibly have to say?

As a practitioner of open-book management at an employee engagement software company, I have a unique front-row seat to The Great Game of Business®. I’ve seen the impact it has on our own employees’ engagement, as well as many of our customers’. As our friends at Great Game™ often share, organizations who subscribe to the open-book methodology have employee engagement levels that are three times higher than the national average. By tying the work employees are doing daily to the outcomes and success of the company, these leaders are giving employees more reasons to invest their full hearts and minds in their work.

Capitalism is under attack—especially in today’s political arena. Given the increasing gap between the have and have-nots, it’s not surprising that people are looking for a scapegoat—for someone to blame. And, often unfairly, it is business leaders who increasingly find themselves in the crosshairs. That’s led some influential voices in the business world to consider new tactics. A prime example is how the Business Roundtable, a group of about 200 leaders of the world’s largest companies, recently created headlines with an announcement that they would prioritize their commitment to their “stakeholders”—which includes employees, customers, suppliers, and communities—over the short-term gains to their shareholders.

At the 27th Annual Gathering of Games Conference, The Great Game of Business® will celebrate the 19th Great Game of Business All-Star Team. 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. Great Game All-Stars not only practice The Game at a high level, they embody a spirit of generosity and a willingness to openly spread the word to help others succeed. That is the essence of the All-Star Awards! Here's your chance to check out the 2019 finalists and vote on your favorites for this year's All-Star People's Choice Award.