Old habits die hard

The pen and the notepad were undoubtedly some of the notable inventions of the previous century. One does not have to go far to view the conjured up image of a manager’s desk virtually sinking under a sea of paper. Some even see a desk full of paper as a badge of honour; these managers affirm this by only being willing to clean it up once a year.

There is an increasing trend in modern business models towards going paperless – leaving behind the traditional, hard-copy methods of record-keeping and moving records into the digital space.

There are numerous advantages to a paperless business, yet in many organizations there is resistance to discarding the old ways in favour of technology. At the end of the day, the idiom of you cannot teach an old dog new tricks must exist for a reason right?

A stone in the path

Of the many advantages offered by a paperless system, reduced cost is perhaps one of the most obvious. The cost reduction comes not only from the direct cost savings in terms of printing and supplies, but also from several less obvious sources.

Traditional paper records require a lot of space and an organized filing system in order to be useful. There is also no easy way of making paper records easily and quickly accessible, which leads to loss of productivity as the employees are forced to search through endless cabinets and boxes to find a single record.

Paper records also have a tendency to become lost or damaged as the number of records grows, leading to an exponential increase in inefficiency and expense as the record-base increases.
Finally, the use of paper records makes duplication and distribution much more difficult.

Cutting the fat

Most, if not all, of these disadvantages can be virtually eliminated by moving to a paperless system.

Records can be linked to specific cases or clients and stored in an indexed, searchable database which is instantly accessible from anywhere in the world, leading to increased productivity.

Electronic data can also be copied and distributed with almost no effort and without affecting the integrity of the source data. Most paperless systems have built-in mechanisms to ensure the safeguarding of data integrity, to the point where digital signatures are increasingly becoming the norm in many industries.

Baffling resistance

With all of the advantages on offer, the resistance to changing to a paperless business model seems baffling. Why would an organization choose to continue using an antiquated paper-based system in the digital era?

The answer lies in the human element. A computer or tablet cannot reproduce the tactile feel of pen and paper, or replace the convenience of jotting down some quick notes on a notepad during a meeting. Many top company executives have grown up with paper-based systems and feel more comfortable with the physical presence of a pen in their hand. A desk full of stacks of files, despite their inefficiency, conveys an image of a busy worker, and an empty in tray brings a feeling of satisfaction which computers simply cannot recreate.

Change your view

The move to a paperless business model requires a change in mind-set which needs to be spearheaded by top levels of an organization. People are reluctant to move out of their comfort zones and so there must be emphasis from the executive and management level on the importance of making paperless the new norm.

In order for any new system to be successful, the organizational attitude needs to change at every level from the top down.

As a technologist, I fully support the idea of paperless business models and paperless meetings. The advantages thereof are obvious; and any business willing to adapt is sure to see new benefit. Old habits die hard but the reality is that no tablet will ever fully replace my notebook and pen.