Book Description About the Author JOHN P. (JACK) STACK is president and CEO of SRC Holdings Corporation. Stack, a graduate of Elmhurst College, came to SRC in 1979 as the plant manager of International Harvester (IH). In 1983, Stack and the SRC employees bought the company from IH and have turned it into, what Inc. magazine has proclaimed, “one of America’s most competitive small companies.” He is the author of the books The Great Game of Business and A Stake in the Outcome. Jack has been married to his wife, Betsy, for forty-seven years and is the father of five children and grandfather of ten.DARREN DAHL is an experienced ghostwriter and business journalist, having written for publications like The New York Times, Inc., and Forbes. Darren has also ghostwritten multiple books, several of which have landed on multiple bestseller lists. He lives in Asheville, North Carolina, with his wife, Stephanie. Read more Customers Review: The CEO of SRC Corporation in Springfield, Missouri has produced another superior book about the huge successes that open book management is having on organizations of all sizes and industries. The book is “Change the Game: Saving the American Dream by Closing the Gap Between the Haves and the Have-nots.”Jack introduces open book management by explaining that it’s a leadership philosophy that’s grounded in the notion of creating businesses of business people where everyone in the organization thinks and acts like business owners. People in open book companies are steeped in business literacy, work daily to improve the financials, have huge amounts of financial information available to them (hence, the term open book) and their rewards and recognition are tied to financial performance.I’ve applied open book concept to a number of my clients. One used operating income (OI) as its overarching measurement. Employees liked the fact that they had a complete understanding of OI and how they could improve it. Every employee became part of the “game”. They dramatically improved OI, on time delivery, gross inventory turns, productivity and safety.Jack Stack’s books are great reads in part because Jack is an excellent story teller. In “Change the Game” he draws on the great game to tell real stories about Little League baseball players, a young couple starting a business, a CEO and his board during a transition, a two-person team rebooting their company, entrepreneurs, factory managers and employees who have and don’t have the information they need, how open book can affect creative people, health care and government.Read “Change the Game”. You simply can’t not learn a lot about improving your business by drawing on open book fundamentals: Knowing and teaching the rules; Following the action and keeping score and; Providing a stake in the outcome.Enjoy!Jim Shaffer
Jack Stack is an “Out of the Box” thinker and this book showcases the transformational results “playing” The Great Game of Business has given to all sectors of business; government, non-profit, education and for-profit. It proves, without a shadow of a doubt, that caring for your team and respecting their ability to contribute at the highest level, fosters all the elements of excellence; alignment, engagement, focus and accountability. Bravo Jack! Thank you for sharing and thank you for challenging business owners around the world to appeal to the highest level of thinking within their teams! The personal stories within this book are proof that when individuals are given the opportunity to think, act and feel like owners, they will perform at the highest level. A MUST READ for all who struggle with engagement, profitability, sustainability and/or retaining good talent.
Jack Stack and the Great Game community are onto something truly powerful and positive. This book adds excellent practical illustrations that show how the principals of open book management play out in practice. It provides real, concrete examples that show us how this dramatically improved approach to operating businesses (and non-profits and government agencies too – any organization with a budget) can help. It gives any organization a huge step up in its ability to succeed. And it does it in a way the empowers everyone in the organization and improves the working experience for them. It makes their work much more meaningful and interesting, brings everyone together as a team with shared goals. As this concept spreads, it is remaking our social fabric in very positive ways.
This book was filled with stories from companies who implement this very operating system. After reading about so many companies who took a leap of faith and opened the books to their employees, I am convinced that there is no other way to run a business! More companies should share their financials! How can employees make good decisions on behalf of a company if they don’t have all the information they need? This book will inspire you and make you eager to see real change in the corporate world. There truly is a way to drive financial results while caring for the people you work with. “Through building successful organizations, we can change the world for the better.” By successful, meaning, healthy and happy places to work for, while also thriving financially. This book is a must read!
Inspiring! Highlights a wide variety of examples of organizations and people using open book management principles and financial literacy training to help everyone working there think and act like an owner. Examples include businesses, non-profits, government, entrepreneurs and even former SRC employees who now run successful businesses on their own. Has motivated me to keep on my personal journey of using this sensible way to run organizations that I’m a part of, whether as a volunteer or as a small business owner, so that someday we too can reach the great heights showcased by the examples in this book. Thank you Jack and all those who are acting as beacons on this journey, whether in a small or large way, to guide those following behind.
Jack and Darren have compiled a great collection of evidence of the way the Great Game creates value in many different types of business, non-profits, and even government. Even more than that, participants in the game begin to recognize their own agency and value through the process of learning how they impact the results. Following this model isn’t always easy, but it will change your organizational culture and your team’s lives.
This definitely is a game changer and it’s something I keep close at my desk. Can’t even explain how empowering all this is. I’ve been with a company who has gone through major transformation applying everything that the Great Game culture is. I am ecstatic that we made the change and amidst the financial health I see the culture getting stronger with more respect and trust. Can’t wait to start applying more game changing strategies. |
11 reviews