What are the 'All-Star Awards'...and How Does Our Company Get One?

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.

The inspiration for the All-Star Awards came from the pioneers of open-book management themselves. Open-book management wasn’t theorized in a business school or dreamed up at some consulting think tank. It was created by everyday business people much like you. Through a handful of breakthrough companies and years of innovative practitioners, a whole new way of thinking about business was born. They discovered first-hand that when you harness the collective wisdom of your people, great things can and do happen. These pioneers of open-book management didn’t always share the same language or use the same techniques, but they did operate according to some remarkably similar principles:

• Every employee is given the measures of business success and taught to understand them.
• Every employee is expected and enabled to act on their knowledge to improve results.
• Every employee has a direct stake in the company’s success – and in the risk of failure.

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.

We begin the nomination process for the All-Star Awards each fall and accept nominations for three categories:

Rookie of the Year: This award recognizes those companies that have only been practicing open-book management and The Great Game of Business for less than a year, but have achieved some remarkable results.

All-Star: 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.

Hall of Fame: The Hall of Fame honors organizations that have operated using the principles of open-book management for more than a decade with lasting, proven results and have demonstrated a willingness to spread the word on open-book management in order to help others succeed.

Nominate a deserving company for an All-Star Award.

Finalists are chosen in the Spring based on formal judging of company applications; winners are announced during an awards ceremony at The Gathering of Games.

If you'd like to learn more about past finalists and winners, browse our Case Studies to see company profiles and results.