No matter what people might say, the problem doesn't lie with
the technology used to create files. Rather, the reason the
paperless office doesn't exist rests with end users and their
hardware.
On the human side, there are a number of reasons for the
bumpy transition. The chief among these is that most people
are tactile. They like to have something in their hands. The
heft of paper is comforting to them. In fact, I've been told
that a document isn't "real" otherwise. On top of that you
can't markup what's on-screen. Few digital paper applications
allow you to, for example, highlight trenchant points in a
memo or in a certain chapter of a manual.
Ignorance is Bliss?
Regardless of a company's boasts of staying on the cutting
edge, employees generally lack knowledge of what these
technologies can do and of how to use them properly. This is
especially true when working with the Internet and Intranets.
Instead of bookmarking Web pages, or downloading them for
later viewing, employees print them. Often they don't use
duplex if it's available.
Why print? The main reason I've
been given is so that the documents are "close at hand." This
usually means they've been put into a folder then shoved into
a drawer. I find it faster and easier to fire up a Web
browser or Acrobat Reader to view at a document than to
rummage through my desk to find it.
Lack of Training
What's the root of this ignorance? Lack of proper training.
When I mention bookmarking internal Web pages to people, they
seem surprised. They thought that it could only be done on
the WWW. If someone sat down with employees for a couple of
hours and gave them a crash course on how to use digital
paper, I believe paper usage would dramatically decline.
Reading Off a Monitor
On top of that, there's the computer monitor. It's not
exactly the best way to look at anything, regardless of the
screen's resolution. As one who sits before a computer screen
for five hours or more a day, I can tell you how
tired your eyes become staring at the monitor for extended
periods. For many, shifting their eyes away from the screen
to a sheaf of paper is an incredible relief.
The Dullness Factor
It's also the material being read. Most of what's circulated
internally (either on an Intranet or in a digital format) is
often written by people who simply can't write. Their grammar
and syntax is atrocious, and they more often than not use
twice as many words as needed. Sure, an inter-departmental
memo doesn't have to be a literary masterpiece but it should
be concise and easy to read. Users shouldn't have to wade
dense prose to find what they're looking for, nor should they
have to read a document two or three times before they begin
to understand it.