OPENING THE BOOKS

For years, small companies have experimented with forms of open-book m anagement. Open-book systems have smoothed change efforts by giving wo rkers the why instead of just the how of initiatives; they have enable d employees to think like owners. Now divisions of large organizations such as R.R. Donnelley & Sons and Amoco Canada are finding that openi ng the books can work for them, too. It isn't easy, and companies must adapt the principles to their own situations. AES Corporation, for ex ample, found that it had to declare all its employees ''insiders'' whe n it went public. One of the reasons for large companies' interest in open-book management is the success of a role-model company, Missouri- based Springfield ReManufacturing. Leaders of divisions of large compa nies have been able to visit and ask questions. Other early adopters a re also showing competitive advantages. Among them are Wabash National , now the nation's leading truck and tractor manufacturer, and Physici an Sales & Service, a distributor of supplies to doctors' offices.Open -book principles are the same whether a company is large or small: eve ry employee must receive all relevant financial information and be tau ght to understand it; managers must hold employees accountable for mak ing their unit's goals; and the compensation system must reward everyo ne for the overall success of the business. Hexacomb Corporation is on e; large organization that has done well. Workers at the company's sev en plants are inspired by a system of splitting profits over budget fi fty-fifty: half goes to the company and half to the bonus pool. Such c ompanies are learning the benefits of having everyone working to push the numbers in the right direction.