Burlingham explains that this is because employees often don't know how important the number is until you tell them. Scoreboards are a good way to get people thinking about numbers without overwhelming them. Business literacy training should be introduced slowly. Often companies start with education about a simple product or service unrelated to their business and show how wealth is created, in particular how company events affect the balance sheet and income statement. Springfield Remanufacturing Corp. uses a training book called The Yo-Yo Company for this purpose.
Games are the last element of introducing the concept.
Burlingham explains that certain elements must be in place for a game to work. For example, a company's critical number may be bookings for service industry companies, cash flow, accurate client records, accurate scheduling of appointments. Goals are generally specified in terms of percentage improvement. Payoffs include bottles of wine, gift certificates, travel certificates, cash bonuses, or a percentage of money saved. The purpose of the bonus program is to educate employees in the company's critical numbers, fix weaknesses, increase stock value and provide short-term rewards that motivate and involve employees on a continual basis.