The Annual Gathering of Games - Featured Track Details

In our last post, we shared details from the methodology-focused tracks (Know & Teach the Rules, Follow the Action & Keep Score and Provide a Stake in the Outcome). Today, we'll continue to share highlights from the 22nd Annual Gathering of Games agenda by looking at the three featured tracks for the 2014 Conference.

The content and themes for these three tracks are chosen based on the overall conference theme (Join the Open-Book (R)evolution) and requests from past conference attendees. In 2014, three main themes emerged, which led to the creation of our three featured conference tracks: Trends in Transparency, Growing your Company and Ownership Transitions.

What follows is a description of these three tracks and a look at the content and speakers for each.

Trends in Transparency

Whether you're an open-book beginner, an intermediate or advanced Great Game practitioner, the practices and processes you put into building a transparent company can be vital to the success of opening your books. In this track, you'll hear from seasoned practitioners and employees from open-book companies who will help you foresee and overcome common problems transparent organizations face.

Check out these great sessions:

• Economic Power of Trust - Speaker: Robert Porter Lynch, The Warren Company
• The Magic & Myths of Sharing Information with Employees - Speakers: James Mauch & Mark Lewis, Tenmast Software
• How "Open-Book" Should you be Online? - Speaker: Claire Faucett, engage5w
• Doubters, Pouters & CAVE Dwellers: A Panel of Reformed Open-Book Skeptics - Moderator: Denise Bredfeldt, former SRC employee & "The Original Doubter"

Growing your Company

As your open-book culture helps your company to evolve, you'll face the challenges of keeping communication consistent, educating new employees, keeping current employees engaged and leveraging your transparent culture to grow your business even further. In this track, you'll learn from long-term open-book practitioners and hear tips for using open-book management to grow your company.

Here's what you'll see:

• Sustaining your Open-Book Culture: An All-Star Panel - Moderator: Rich Armstrong, The Great Game of Business, Inc. - Panelists: Ed Dorian, Dorian Drake International; Randy Haran, Texas Air Composites; Alan Kent, Meadows Regional Medical Center
• Using OBM to Recruit, Hire & Retain Top Performers - Speaker: Stephanie Greenshields, Netmail
• The Challenge of Youth & Vitality - Speaker: Michael Hartman, Amy's Ice Creams
• Using The Game to Attract Clients - Speaker: Tim Kerrigan, Stalcop

Ownership Transitions

Open-book companies face a unique challenge when preparing to transition both ownership and leadership roles within the organization. Many companies implement open-book management as a way to better prepare for transitions, while others simply find powerful ways to leverage open-book management as a way to sustain culture during major leadership transitions.

Here's what's happening:

• Building to Last: Why you Should Prepare NOW for the Biggest Transition your Company will Face   - Speaker: Bo Burlingham, Inc. Magazine & Co-Author (with Jack Stack) of The Great Game of Business and A Stake in the Outcome
• Succession Planning: Emotional & Financial Considerations - Speaker: Harlan Geiser, Integrity Technology Solutions
• Mixing Business with Family - Speaker: Doug Sippel, Titan Financial Associates
• Ownership Planning: Don't Wait Until it's Too Late  - Speaker: Alan Taylor, BKD