Biz News

What Happened to Paperless Office?

Why we are still using so many paper in the office and home, despite the advance of IT? Why the paper is still so beloved?

Posted: Dec 2011

During 80s of the last century it was considered that advancing electronic technology will eliminate the need for using of paper in the business. It was even considered that the office will became totally paperless. Office without papers was seen as a huge progress that will enable easier and faster business. But, 90s passed, 00s passed, we stepped into second decade of 21st century and papers are still all around us.

We can see bunch of papers on every desk. Folders on shelves are full of all different papers. Business with customers is still done mostly through paper invoicing. Even if EDI is implemented, there are still a various paper forms around ( invoices, credit notes, memos ... ). Although e-mail is massively used, people still keep the habit to print some documents to “pay closer look”.

It is absurd that billions $ are spent on IT equipment and expensive business enterprise resource planning software, dozens of e-mails are appearing into inbox of every employee and we are still print documents. People still like to bring print-out to the meeting. It is true that information technology is used as well. But that development didn’t reduce the need for printing. It seems that both IT based information and paper based information are expanding in parallel. No matter how many mails we sent and receive, we still print a lot.

It is obvious that either IT didn’t advance enough, or we didn’t evolve enough from habit of using of paper. Probably the paper still has some advantages:

• Feel of touching the paper could be one that gives more convincing and understandable information to the reader.

• Visually paper is still attractive. Despite constant advance of screen quality, e-book readers, portability and announcement of even more advanced screens that will be transparent and able to be bend, the paper is still perceived as primary medium of preference.

• Paper can be edited easily, without expertise of using sophisticated programs. It is true that it is not interactive, but still it is easy to write on paper.

• Paper requires no instruction manual.

• Signing of paper document is still strong habit. Despite spreading of electronic signature, signing by hand is still considered as relevant. On top of that there is a stamp, as another certificate of authority that refuses to disappear into obsolescence.

  We were told that papers will disappear from our offices and homes, since electronic screens will replace it. That didn't happen yet. Why?

  
  

  
  

• Paper works even when electricity is off or when battery is dead.

• It even does not need to be restarted.

• It is still easier to find the document within the pile of papers than to find the lost e-mail

• eBooks cost is almost the same as paper books, although their copying is virtually free.

• Paper is very resistant to bugs ;-)
  

If at least half of stated above is not true, the paper would despair. But it is still there, among us. It seems that technology needs to make additional steps in order to make paper really obsolete. Also, cultural change probably needs to wait a new generation that will not be strongly dependant to paper documents.