<PAGE>   1
                                                                   EXHIBIT 10(a)
                                                                   -------------

                             RUBBERMAID INCORPORATED

                         1997 MANAGEMENT INCENTIVE PLAN


I.       PLAN OBJECTIVE
         --------------

         The 1997 Management Incentive Plan ("Plan") is designed to encourage
         and reward participants for acting in ways that increase Rubbermaid's
         value to its shareholders--in short, it is designed to help them think,
         act and be rewarded like an owner of the Company.

II.      PLAN YEAR
         ---------

         The Plan Year will be coincident with the Company's fiscal year.

III.     PLAN ADMINISTRATION AND PARTICIPATION
         -------------------------------------

         The Plan shall be administered by the Compensation and Management
         Development Committee of the Board of Directors (the "Committee") which
         in conjunction with the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the
         Company will determine participants in the Plan. The Committee shall
         interpret the Plan, set performance goals and make all determinations
         and decisions thereunder.

         All officers as well as other key employees regularly employed by
         Rubbermaid or its subsidiaries are eligible to be selected to
         participate in the Plan. Participation in any Plan Year does not
         guarantee inclusion in any following year.

         The Company has the right to modify or amend this Plan from time to
         time, or suspend it or terminate it entirely at any time.

IV.      BONUS AND PERFORMANCE GOALS
         ---------------------------

         Annual cash bonus targets will be established for each management
         salary band. Payment of the bonus will depend upon the achievement of
         performance goals that are linked to the current and long range
         performance objectives of the Company.

         Performance goals will be established annually from performance
         measures selected from the Plan and approved by the Committee. The
         bonus can range from 0% to 200% (300% in the case of Corporate Council
         and Operating Team participants) of the target bonus, depending upon
         how the Company and its various business units perform against
         performance goals. Regardless of performance, the amount of bonus which
         may be paid to a participant for any Plan Year may not exceed $3
         million.


<PAGE>   2


         The Performance measures established by the Committee will be based on
         one or more of the following: return on net assets, return on capital
         employed, economic value added, level of sales, earnings per share,
         income before income taxes and cumulative effect of accounting changes,
         net income, return on equity, total shareholder return, market
         valuation, cash flow and completion of acquisitions. The foregoing
         criteria may have any reasonable definitions that the Committee may
         specify, which may include or exclude any or all of the following
         items: extraordinary, unusual, or non-recurring items; effects of
         accounting changes; effects of currency fluctuations; effects of
         financing activities (e.g., effect on earnings per share of issuing
         convertible debt securities); expenses for restructuring or
         productivity initiatives; non-operating items; acquisition expenses
         (e.g., pooling of interest); and effects of divestitures. Any such
         performance criterion or combination of such criteria may apply to the
         participant's award opportunity in its entirety or to any designated
         portion or portions of the opportunity, as the Committee may specify.

V.       PAYOUT OF AWARDS
         ----------------

         Earned bonus awards will be paid following completion of a Plan Year
         (at the end of February following award calculation and approval).

VI.      EMPLOYMENT STATUS
         -----------------

         New Hire, Transfer, Promotion
         -----------------------------

         A newly hired employee or an employee transferred or promoted during a
         Plan Year to a position qualifying for participation in the Plan will
         be eligible to receive a pro rata award for the Plan Year. To be
         eligible for a bonus for a Plan Year, a participant must be in an
         eligible position by November 1 of the Plan Year.

         Death, Disability, Retirement
         -----------------------------

         If a participant's employment is terminated during a Plan Year by
         reason of death, disability or retirement (age 55 and 15 years of
         service or age 60 regardless of years of service) a pro-rata award will
         be calculated. This will be based on the participant's earnings while
         employed during the Plan Year, times the target bonus, times the
         appropriate performance factor. Payment of the pro-rata bonus will be
         as described in Section V, not at date of termination.

         Other
         -----

         A participant whose employment is terminated during a Plan Year for
         reason other than retirement, disability, or death has no vested
         interest in a bonus award under the Plan. However, the Company reserves
         the right to pay some or all of the current year's earned bonus, at its
         sole discretion.

         A participant who becomes ineligible for Plan participation during a
         Plan Year will be eligible for a prorata bonus at the discretion of the
         Chief Executive Officer of Rubbermaid Incorporated.