It’s been more than 15 years since the term “open-book management” was first brought to the forefront in an Inc. article by contributor (then senior editor) John Case. In that time, hundreds of companies have begun practicing some form of OBM. Many swear by it, others have achieved success early on but then got stuck, and a few have regretted the day they ever heard about it. In this session, you’ll hear from practitioners who know the challenges, the pitfalls, and the path to successful, long-term implementation of OBM.

    Our Panelists: Bill Palmer is the founder and CEO of Commercial Casework, an architectural woodwork and cabinetry manufacturer located in Fremont, California. For the last 14 years Commercial Casework has been one of the only union organizations in America that practices open-book management. They are a two-time winner of the MVP award at the National Gathering of Games. www.commercialcasework.com Randy Haran is the CEO/President of Texas Air Composites (TAC) in DeSoto, TX. The company formally implemented The Great Game of Business in 2004. TAC was selected #88 and #61 for Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 100 Fastest Growing New Businesses in 2004 and 2005 respectively and #196 in Inc. Magazine’s top 500 Fastest Growing Private Companies. In 2005, Randy was recognized for Outstanding Individual Efforts in Creating a Culture of Ownership with the GGOB All Star Award of “Most Valuable Player”. www.texasaircomposites.com Linda Hobbs is the President and CEO of Telisimo International Corporation with headquarters in San Diego, CA and operations in Tijuana, Mexico. Telisimo provides “back office services” as the customer care and technical support departments for other companies. In 2002, Telisimo began the introduction of OBM over a three year period to its US staff of 500+ employees. With the purchase of a company in Mexico in 2005, Telisimo took the opportunity to implement OBM on an international level, sharing OBM principals with its expanding staff of over 400 employees in Mexico. Ms. Hobbs has been a frequent speaker for The Great Game of Business sharing Telisimo’s wide-ranging experience and tips on the use of mini-games to bolster employee participation as well as implement strategic company initiatives. www.telisimo.com

    Our Facilitator: Bo Burlingham is former executive editor and current editor-at-large of Inc. magazine, as well as the co-author, with Jack Stack of The Great Game of Business and A Stake in the Outcome. Bo’s latest book, Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big was released in 2006. www.inc.com