Frank, great idea and a noble thought. I wish the world worked like that. Like you, in our small shop, we don't really have a working policy manual. However, the larger the company I think there needs to be some consensus on control. And there is the government that gets in the way. Some of the laws dictate you must have a written policy. And some parts of the government make you keep crappy employees because "you did not have a written policy."
I do wish it were otherwise. I an do realize that people will find work arounds, but most will not and will appreciate the guidelines.