In the 1980's, we were promised a future of paperless offices. Yet something has happened on the way to the year 2000. We see more and more paper than ever before. Now the predictions are that paperless offices are probably not ever going to happen. The reason for this is not for lack of technology. All that paper accumulation is more of a cultural phenomenon.

      Greater numbers of documents are, in fact, being created and stored electronically. In 1990, only 10% of documents were stored electronically. In 1996, the percentage was about 50%. We are close to 70% at this moment. If this is the case, then why is there an increase in paper?

     The answer lies in the amount of information that people are accumulating. The total  amount of the 30% of documents that are still on paper is larger than the 90% that were on paper in 1990. In this decade, we have actually increased the amount of printed paper by 100%, even though only 30% of stored documents are on paper. To put this a slightly different way, the amount of information has grown by such a phenomenal amount that electronic storage is not keeping up.

     In the year 1997, the number of printed documents rose by 24% in comparison to the number of documents printed in 1996. Most of this printing is from data received over the Internet. People are printing their e-mails and information from web pages in great quantity. The reason they do is to "own" the information. Hewlett-Packard discovered that people don't feel that they possess information that sits on their computer screens. They have to be able to hold it in their hands to feel ownership. So, they print it out—many times in color. 

     Where does this leave us? Today's challenge is one of document management, since paper reduction is not going to happen any time soon. Some companies have attempted to force paperless cultures. They have been successful only to limited degrees. The key is perhaps not to force the paperless concept, but rather to practice smarter information management, whether it is on paper or stored electronically. 

     Too many companies make all the technology available, but spend no time or effort making sure that people are using the tools appropriately. This leads to the unfortunate situation of some people printing out their e-mail, making notes on it, and giving it back to someone else to enter into a computer and resend by e-mail. Partially this happens because people layer the technology onto existing patterns. 

      Sometimes all it takes is awareness building, recognition that certain practices actually slow us down, even if they look "technically" smart. Organizations probably need to set information and paper management performance objectives, and then managers need to regularly check to see that these targets are being met. Individuals need to identify specific "information management" practices they can improve, and begin to systematically work on them.
 

Please submit your questions to Time Manager Questions and Answers. If you have questions, undoubtedly someone else has the same question. By asking a question, you'll help a fellow Time Manager user become more effective.
 
 
 

Janelle Barlow, Ph.D.
President
TMI, USA
 

Please submit your questions to Time Manager Questions and Answers. If you have questions, undoubtedly someone else has the same question. By asking a question, you'll help a fellow Time Manager user become more effective.
 
 

Previous "Time Manager Q & A Corner" pages: 
 

#1	Key Areas and Interruptions
#2	Daily Plans and Home Offices
#3	Result Statements
#4	Reading and Responding to E-Mail
#5	Sending E-Mail
#6	Filing According to Key Areas
#7	Setting up Files for the Whole Office
#8	Controlling Loose Pieces of Paper
#9	The Value of Time
#10	More on Results Statements
#11	Managing Time on the Road
#12	How to Get Time with Someone
#13	The Downside of Goals
#14	Thinking Types and Time
#15	Feeling Types and Time
#16	Intuitive Types and Time
#17	Sensate Types and Time
#18	What's Real about Strategic Planning?
#19	What Does Being Strategic Really Mean?
#20	How Perception of Time Influences Goal Choices
#21	The Four Immutable Laws of Controlling Your Desk
#22	Decision Making and Cultural Groups

Please submit your questions to Time Manager Questions and Answers by fax or e-mail . If you have questions, undoubtedly someone else has the same question. By asking a question, you'll help a fellow Time Manager user become more effective.

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