Have you an addiction……?
Many organisations are addicted to paper: for many individuals paper provides that “comfort blanket” of knowledge that every essential piece of crucial information is always at our fingertips……but does it?
Did you know….?
How many times has an important document been misfiled, or lost. So bearing in mind
• large organisations lose a document every 12 seconds
• each misfiled document costs £100
• each lost document costs between £250-£500
• a 4 drawer cabinet holds between 10,000 to 12,000 documents
…is there any wonder we sometimes struggle to find that critical piece of information just when we need it most.
Worldwide paper consumption has risen by 400% in the last 40 years with 35% of harvested trees being used for paper manufacture. Loss of forests contributes between 12 and 17% of annual global greenhouse gas emissions.
If the current rate of deforestation continues, it will take less than 100 years to destroy all the rainforests on the earth.
It is also true that more than 70% of businesses would fail if they suffered a catastrophic flood or fire involving paper loss. But scare tactics are not always the most effective method of motivating people into action, particularly for the longer term. However, technology is not the whole answer: changing the ways we think about paper is absolutely essential.
Changing your culture
TIME – One of the biggest learning curves is allowing people time to gain the confidence that they can retrieve the documents they want from the e-file just as quickly and easily as they can when flicking through a physical file. There is no one size fits all for this either, and much depends on how you set up and manage your e-files in the first place.
PROOF – Demonstrating what works already in another area of your business is always a powerful method of proving that it can be done, without having to say those actual words. Call it a pilot or a trial if you need to, but once something is up, running and working effectively it is very hard to deny that it works.
HANDS ON – Getting people on the ground involved, encouraging ideas to improve on current practices and build on existing processes is important to gain engagement and buy in from those who will ultimately be required to make the change. Ensure your User Group including those most resistant to the change. Working with these individuals on a regular basis is a really effective way of making sure you have addressed every obstacle, and being able to do this will mean the wider organisation will be far more accepting, if they can see those against the change are working with you to find a resolution.
TAILORING – Accepting that one size does not fit all areas of your organisation is important, as what works for one team may not be appropriate for another. Allow teams to tailor their approach according to the type of work they do and the degree of documentation they handle.
CONSULTATION – Acknowledge that some clients still prefer to use paper, forcing them to fall in line with your new e-filing working practices may cause an adverse ripple effect in their business that you cannot ever predict. Talk to clients about what you are doing, explain why and take time to understand if this will fit with them or affect the way they currently work.
For more information, assistance and/or support with your Paper-Lite initiative or managing culture change, call or email Adrienne