Transparency and there again: lessons learned at Digital

Purpose - The purpose of this article is to discuss the author's experiences as a program manager during the 1980s through early 1990s when Digital went from a booming $15 billion company through break-up and downsizing, to its purchase by Compaq Computer in 1997. The article aims to provide a perspective on what it was like to work in a company that valued transparency, and what it felt like when under pressure the company reverted back to a traditional opaque, hierarchical management.Design methodology approach - Discussions of the author's experiences as a program manager during the 1980s through early 1990s at Digital Corporation.Findings - Transparency was a core principle used at Digital Equipment Corporation to build a highly successful company with a corporate culture. Alumnae of that organization have continued to communicate and network as they went in many different directions. Their philosophy has influenced the culture of the high-tech industries.Practical implications - A high level overview by an executive from the inside discussing a perspective on what it was like to work in a company that valued transparency, and what it felt like when under pressure the company reverted back to a traditional opaque, hierarchical management.Originality value - A look from the inside out at the issue of transparency as it applied to a booming $15 billion company.