The Great Game of Business

by Doubleday Business

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Release Date:1994-10-01
Label:Doubleday Business
Pages:304
Binding:Paperback
Publication Date:1994-01-15
Published By:Doubleday Business
ASIN:038547525X
Category:Book

Authors

Editorial Reviews and Product Descriptions

Product Description

In the early 1980s, Springfield Remanufacturing  Corporation (SRC) in Springfield, Missouri, was a  near bankrupt division of International Harvester.  That's when a green young manager, Jack Stack,  took over and turned it around. He didn't know how to  "manage" a company, but he did know about the  principal, of athletic competition and democracy:  keeping score, having fun, playing fair, providing  choice, and having a voice. With these principals  he created his own style of management --  open-book management. The key is to let everyone in on  financial decisions. At SRC, everyone learns how to  read a P&L -- even those without a high school  education know how much the toilet paper they use  cuts into profits. SRC people have a piece of the  action and a vote in company matters. Imagine  having a vote on your bonus and on what businesses the  company should be in. SRC restored the dignity of  economic freedom to its people. Stack's  "open-book management" is the key -- a system  which, as he describes it here, is literally  a game, and one so simple anyone can use  it. As part of the Currency paperback line, the  book includes a "User's Guide" -- an  introduction and discussion guide created for the  paperback by the author -- to help readers make  practical use of the book's ideas. Jack Stack is the  president and CEO of the Springfield Remanufacturing  Corporation, in Springfield, Missouri. The recipient  of the 1993 Business Enterprise Trust Award, Jack  speaks throughout the country on The  Great Game Of Business and Open  Book Management.

Customer Reviews

Obama-Style Leadership Inherent in Bo 7 Jack's approach - Reviewed on 2008-11-05
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1 customer found this review helpful.

Glowing here in Chicago after six months of work on the Obama campaign I believe that the lynchpin to Obama's success is reflected in Jack Stack and Bo Burlington's approach. Obama's approach to Obama Team was to ensure that each of us understood how our work supported the larger whole.

In talking with each other, each of us felt well-used because we knew that we played a specific, valuable part in the campaign - and knew what our main goal was towards the larger, main goal. Stack's goal was the same, "Knowledge of how your business operates will allow them to make the right decisions in the best financial interest of their organization."

In an increasingly, transient, information-glutted and time-starved country, people are hungry for connection to a larger goal and to be valued for their high-performing work towards that goal. That's why Marcus Buckingham and Jack Stack's approach and books will be perennial best-sellers. They are practical and have wide-spread application.
A Wonderful Lesson for the Doubters - Reviewed on 2008-08-27
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1 customer found this review helpful.

This is a great story for everyone in your organization whose response to innovation is - "Well, sure it worked at that company, but it could never work here." Jack Stack took a "get your hands dirty," product line and turned it into one of the more innovative companies in the U.S. The numeric examples are a bit dated at this point, but the philosophy is as strong as ever.
Pivotal - a must-read - Reviewed on 2008-05-05
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2 customers found this review helpful, 1 did not.

A masterpiece. We use this book in our consulting practice as a textbook of sorts - as an illustration of why and how to develop a cohesive management team and then manage "by the numbers". Stack had to learn the lesson the hard way when his company underwent an employee buy-out. Long-story-short, he figured out how to bring the management team (and the rest of the employees) into the critical reporting metrics by turning it into a "game" similar to a sporting event everyone could follow.. thus the title. It's all about "organizational readiness" and moving your team down the field together. It's also a quick read - good because you can put the ideas to work right away.
Easy to read / good insights. - Reviewed on 2008-01-19
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1 customer found this review helpful.

Easy to read, concise, and well written. Main points are well organized and put into a story fashion to keep your attention. It provides good insight into how to run a business openly to fully utilize every employees' talents. It makes a good case for not keeping people in the dark. It has good insights into the motivation of employees. Caution, these principles would be very hard to implement in a large corporation, unless top management "buys in". The book shows the value in making work challenging and fun and more like a "game" with healthy competition. It identifies what "healthy" competition looks like, as opposed to keeping secrets, deception, threats, or games where nobody understands the real rules, which is destructive.
Great Book - Reviewed on 2007-08-23
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1 customer found this review helpful.

Incisive and inspiring....a look at what makes people work, as well as businesses
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