Why We Play the Great Game of Business®
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m competitive. This part of my personality could be part of what drew me to a business operation method called the Great Game of Business® (GGOB). What we’ve discovered since implementing GGOB here at AMS is that the outcomes go far beyond the short-tem excitement of winning; they’ve put us on an entirely new road to success and employee engagement.
At heart, GGOB is an open book management philosophy and approach that makes company finances transparent to all employees. This process resonated with me. It made complete sense for everyone to have a stake in the outcome. You can’t play a game without knowing the rules and keeping score. The Great Game of Business provides us with a platform for understanding the rules of business, keeping score and sharing in the profits of the business when the game is played well.
Since everyone has a stake in financial outcomes, every employee has certain line items they track for the team. Important numbers are tracked and discussed on a weekly basis.
Convincing the Bean Counters
Imagining how automation could help your operation and actually running the numbers are two different things. If you’re considering adding automation, you have to consider the expense and the possible return on your investment. With this online ROI calculator tool, you can learn more about potential return for your organization.
The Game in Real Life
Here’s an example of how this individual oversight can pay off: We used to have two large dumpsters. One exclusively for trash and one just for cardboard. My office manager realized that we used very little cardboard and many times paid for dumping an empty trash container. She negotiated a lower rate on our primary trash collection service and eliminated $75 per month in unused services. The savings fell directly to the bottom line. Game well played.
Another example involved our inventory. We used to order a lot of raw material, calling it “stock.” After educating employees about the cost of inventory, soon team members were much more careful about ordering excess inventory.
Beyond Business
These are just a few quick stories on the impact of GGOB on AMS’s financials within the first six months of implementing it. For employees, another exciting dimension of GGOB is the effect this expanded knowledge of finances brings to their personal lives. Companies that train their staff to use the system discover that employees start to make more informed decisions in their personal budgeting, which can lead to happier staff members. Tying wins in GGOB to employee bonuses or other incentives improves engagement, as well. Another benefit: The GGOB process helps our entire staff practice one of our core values of being continuous learners.
Through following the GGOB approach, we are continually improving our financial results based on the overall learning that we are doing as a company. The winning feeling carries over to longer employee retention and the ability to hire the best people.
I’d encourage any business owner to take a close look at GGOB. The sooner a company starts using it, the better the financial results will be. Simply put, it’s a way to improve the lives of everyone in an organization.
Want to learn more about GGOB or join our Cincinnati team? Call or email us at info@amsmachinesinc.com or browse through our open positions.
