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.

Each year at the Annual Gathering of Games, we recognize several companies who represent the “best of the best” in open-book management practice by honoring these companies with an All-Star Award. 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. For the past few weeks, we’ve been introducing the most recent winners of the All-Star Award. This week, we’d like to introduce you the company who joined the ranks of the most exceptional Great Game companies: The All-Star Hall of Fame. Hall of Fame companies must have a 10-year history of playing The Game; the 2013 Hall of Fame inductee will no doubt inspire you as you continue to explore open-book management.

Part three of our five-part series of Employee Engagement Infographics detailed the cost of disengaged employees; if learning that $370 billion is lost annually due to disengaged employees wasn't enough to spur your interest, part four of the series elaborates on "The Importance of Employee Engagement." Learn how other companies are motivating their staff…and how effective that motivation truly is.

In our first two installments of our five-part Employee Engagement Infographic series, we brought you infographics detailing the importance of happiness in the workplace. Part one taught you what makes employees happy, while part two shared research revealing that happy workers are more productive. This week's infographic, "Work Engaged, Work Inspired," explains how engaged workers benefit your business, the jaw-dropping cost of disengaged workers as well as some super-simple tips for re-engaging employees who need a little inspiration.

Each year, at The Annual Gathering of Games, we recognize several companies who represent the “best of the best” in open-book management practice by honoring these companies with an All-Star Award. 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. Throughout the next few weeks, we’d like to introduce you to each of these companies in hopes that their experience will inspire you as you continue to explore open-book management.

All-Star winner Hilcorp Energy makes the list for the second year in a row. Last week, Fortune Magazine released their annual list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For; topping the list were Google, SAS and The Boston Consulting Group (see the full list here).