“What does ‘accountability’ mean to you?” the facilitator asked the group of earnest managers, gathered to hear about the subject and hopefully apply it in daily work life.

Teaching employees how to read financial statements can be a daunting task. Everyone in your company has different levels of knowledge and experience with the numbers. It can be especially difficult when you have a seasonal workforce, like we do at Amy’s Ice Creams. We’ve been practicing open-book management since 2007; through the years, we’ve found that our favorite game shows have inspired us to make financial literacy training creative and fun.

Have you ever considered how open-book management can make the process of attracting top talent into your organization easier? What about employee retention? My company – Netmail, a 100+ employee company – has been practicing open-book for the better part of a decade. During that time, I’ve found that leveraging our transparent culture has significantly increased our ability to attract, acquire and retain top talent in our organization.

For 22 years, The Annual Gathering of Games has been the top resource for providing companies with educational sessions on open-book management, transparency, gamification, business & financial literacy, rewards & recognition, incentive programs, business planning and a slew of other topics that support the principles and practices of The Great Game of Business .

We're looking for reformed open-book management doubters, disbelievers, critics & skeptics to join us at the 2014 Annual Gathering of Games taking place September 3-5, 2014 in St. Louis, MO.

Earlier this week, we introduced you to the 2014 All-Star Awards finalists who will be recognized at The Annual Gathering of Games Conference, taking place September 3-5, 2014 in St. Louis.

Companies who excel in playing The Game know it's not just about generating profits, cash and wealth but also about distributing it for the good of everyone involved. The Game starts with a sincere belief in people along with fostering trust and mutual respect. The companies who are recognized as Great Game All-Stars embody these concepts to the fullest. All-Star companies show tenacious dedication to open-book management and business transparency and continually spread the word to help others succeed as well. Read more about the All-Star Awards.

Inc. Magazine recently shared an article about salary transparency in light of the recent firing of New York Times executive editor, Jill Abramson, who was seemingly let go shortly after she made an inquiry about her compensation. In the article, writer Ilan Mochari details some common challenges faced when implementing open-book as well as some tips for those who want to make salaries more transparent at their workplace. While the tips are practical, we loved this article because there are some illuminating lessons that can be learned from the examples in the story.

The success of companies like SRC and other practitioners of the Great Game of Business continues to draw the curiosity of academics not just in the U.S., but also those around the world interested in decoding the secrets of what makes open-book companies tick. Here is a small sampling of some of the universities who have recently done research on The Great Game of Business:

“The difference between something good and something great is attention to detail.” - Charles Swindoll An alien spacecraft lands near a mobile home park (as alien spacecraft are prone to do) and abducts an earthling. As the extraterrestrials examine the human, they’re fascinated that one toe on each foot is much bigger than the other four. Why aren’t we earthlings similarly surprised when we see another person’s foot for the first time? Because it’s the norm. Like water to a fish. Ho-hum.