The Great Game of Business Blog

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What do Fur Babies, Community Magazines, Fuel-injectors and Labels Have In Common?

Each of these companies; 1st Pet Vet, 417 Magazine, AMBAC, and Argent Tape and Label are part of a growing community of Great Game companies who have reimagined capitalism as a transformational force for good. Each year, the Great Game™ Community recognizes companies like these who have the courage to do business differently. They are using the power of business to transform their associate's lives and the communities which they serve, for the better. They are part of a movement that's trying to 'Change the Game'.
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How The 2020 Great Game Of Business All-Stars Are Changing The Game

Aug 7, 2020 by Darren Dahl 1 Comment
Just one organization out of 29 All-Star Team Companies has had to permanently lay anyone off What a year 2020 has been so far. From the onset of the pandemic and the economic shutdown to social unrest and massive unemployment, so much has happened. It feels more like a decade has gone by since this all started in March. Quite frankly, it’s been exhausting. We all could use some good news, right?
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Top 5 Reasons You Need to be at The Great Game of Business Conference

Jul 30, 2020 by Kristi Stringer 0 Comments
Are you toying with the idea of attending the Great Game of Business® Conference in September? If you believe all employees can more positively contribute to your business if they are educated and empowered to do so, this might be just the event you are looking for.
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Do You Play The Game...Even When You Lose?

Jun 30, 2020 by Robert Isherwood 0 Comments
I’d like to tell you a story. Let me begin with a disclaimer, it’s not about winning big or how The Great Game of Business® instantly made us hugely profitable and loads of fun. It’s a terrible story about losing. Also, I have not been involved in open-book management or The Great Game of Business very long. Truth be told, I’m about as green as anyone can be. Here’s the 10 second backstory – AMBAC International has been manufacturing precision engine components for over 100 years. The men and women on the shop floor know what they’re doing. I’ll tell anyone they’re the best in the world, and I’ve got the data to back that up. But, the shop floor wasn’t really connected to the ‘business’ and everyone suffered from poor corporate performance as a result. In fact, we were in real danger of losing the company.
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Great Game™ All-Star Leads the Way in Corporate Social Responsibility

Dec 20, 2019 by Darren Dahl 0 Comments
Van Belle Nursery, Inc.—a 2016 Great Game of Business® All-Star based in Abbotsford, British Columbia—was recently recognized by the Abbotsford Chamber of Commerce for its business excellence in corporate social responsibility. The award, along with other local business award recipients for various categories, was presented during the 24th annual Abbotsford Business Excellence Awards gala. Dave Van Belle, the company’s CEO, says that he and the company were nominated for the inaugural award, which was established to honor businesses that serve as an aspirational example for how business could be run better in a variety of ways.
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Why Implement & Continue to Invest in The Game?

Taking the leap into open-book management and a transparent culture can be intimidating, so we asked the best of the best in open-book why they implemented the Great Game of Business®, and what motivates them to continue investing in The Game.
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All-Star People's Choice Poll 2019

Aug 27, 2019 by Lauren Haley 0 Comments
At the 27th Annual Gathering of Games Conference, The Great Game of Business® will celebrate the 19th Great Game of Business All-Star Team. 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. The inspiration for the All-Star Awards came from the pioneers of open-book management themselves. Great Game All-Stars not only practice The Game at a high level, they embody a spirit of generosity and a willingness to openly spread the word to help others succeed. That is the essence of the All-Star Awards! Here's your chance to check out the 2019 finalists and vote on your favorites for this year's All-Star People's Choice Award.
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5 Reasons You Need to Attend the Gathering of Games

Jun 27, 2019 by Kristi Stringer 12 Comments
Are you toying with the idea of attending the Gathering of Games conference in September? If you believe all employees can more positively contribute to your business if they are educated and empowered to do so, this might be just the event you are looking for.
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2019 All-Star Team Announced

Jun 12, 2019 by Lauren Haley 0 Comments
At the Gathering of Games conference each year, the open-book community honors 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 demonstrated outstanding results. We are excited to celebrate the 19th Annual All-Star Award Team. This team of All-Stars represents the companies who stand out as the best of the best in open-book management:
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Employee Ownership Culture and Mindset: Redemption After a Downturn

May 31, 2019 by Lauren Haley 0 Comments
Essential Ingredients was founded in May 1996 in Augusta, GA. This cosmetic chemical and supply distributor has been 100% employee-owned since 2011, after a long history of keeping the financial information and challenges locked away for only management to see. There was one problem: the employees had never had any input or understanding of the company financials, and the financial downturn that followed the ESOP launch proved it. Although an ESOP is a great way to give associates a stake in the outcome® of the company, is a sense of ownership enough? Essential Ingredients quickly learned that an employee culture and ownership mindset among the employees may be even more impactful. The Great Game™ has been the turning point that helped all EI associates think and act like the owners they are and see tremendous results impacting revenue growth, the company's ownership culture, savings equating to more than $750K in sales, and earned EI a spot on the 2018 All-Star Team.
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About The Great Game of Business

Our approach to running a company was developed to help close one of the biggest gaps in business: the gap between managers and employees. We call our open-book approach The Great Game of Business. What lies at the heart of The Game is a very simple proposition: The best, most efficient, most profitable way to operate a business is to give everybody in the company a voice in saying how the company is run and a stake in the outcome. Let us teach you how to develop a culture of ownership, where employees think, act and feel like owners.