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.