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.

Recently, we sat down with Frank Shipper, a Professor of Management in the Franklin P. Perdue School of Business at Salisbury University, to discuss his ongoing research and findings on open-book companies, such as our team here at SRC. Dr. Shipper, who specializes in researching employee ownership and culture, figures he first heard about Jack Stack and SRC more than 20 years ago. He knew right away that SRC was doing something special; similar to what other employee-centric companies he had studied (like Lincoln Electric, Herman Miller, W. L. Gore & Associates, and Atlas Container Corporation) were doing. “The difference is that SRC has developed a business operating system that can turn around a gritty/dirty blue-collar firm,” says Shipper. “They went from the brink of bankruptcy to a level of success that would embarrass many high-tech firms.”

If your company is currently employee owned, or you are considering it; you're probably planning to attend the 2014 Employee Ownership Conference held April 8-10, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia which is presented by the National Center for Employee Ownership (NCEO).

Transparency and the idea of "having information at your fingertips" is practically a given with most things today…even business. For some businesses, this means tossing aside the old command-and-control management model and opening the lines of communication with employees. In a two-part series on companies who play The Game, the Daily Herald reports that The Great Game of Business (GGOB) is a game you might want to play if your company is looking for the next logical step to open-book management. In the series, Kevin Walter, Principal of Tasty Catering and Great Game Coach in Chicago, discusses one of the reasons his company plays The Game:

Each year, The Great Game of Business hosts The Annual Gathering of Games Conference to share and celebrate the principles and practices of The Great Game of Business and open-book management. During the conference, we recognize several companies who stand-out as the best of the best in open-book management with the All-Star Award.

During our journey to share the coolest employee engagement infographics around, we've shared research detailing the impact of engaged (and disengaged) employees along with the best-practices for engage employees at all levels of the company. Incentive programs, workplace perks and unique rewards are often seen as best-practice for employers. Check out the infographic below to learn if these workplace incentives are really what keeps the talent around.