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SUPPLEMENT: TURNING PAPER INTO PROCESSMAY 2015

SPONSORED EDITORIALbriefing supplement: Turning paper into process

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SPONSORED EDITORIALbriefing supplement: Turning paper into process

A lot of law firms have invested in the technology to enable employees to work from home or other locations – and yet the printer’s wheels continue to whirr. Accepting that the move to a paperless office must itself be a process rather than overnight transition, why has progress on more environmentally friendly practice for consuming and sharing information stalled?

“The law firms very ahead of the times in this regard are still the exception rather than the rule,” says Elizabeth Simon, change manager at Lee Wakemans. “Once you move outside London, for example,

businesses can often be 10 years behind. And even those who have the technology to turn paper into process can be hindered by what is ultimately a fear of fully taking the plunge.”

Why so afraid? Surprisingly, it’s not only the issue of compliance with what must be stored, in what form, for how long, and where to be certain of finding it again, that’s holding firms back.

“There can be quite a lot of complex psychology behind the business of paper,” says Simon. “People feel they need their physical files around them. It can be connected to status – proof of being busy, for example

Change manager Elizabeth Simon at Lee Wakemans talks the psychology of change in legal – and how a new approach to paper will mean more space and better thinking

Briefing Industry Interview

Fearlessthinking

May 2015

SPONSORED EDITORIALbriefing supplement: Turning paper into process

30

– and if it’s taken away, the worry can be that people might wonder exactly what you’re up to.”

This is then exacerbated in a partnership environment, where not only are peers trying to monitor one another as closely as possible, but power is divided and policy hard to enforce at the senior level. “You can have three key people keen to champion new ways of working – but if five other partners refuse, it falls apart,” Simon says.

“It comes down to working out your firm’s individual barriers to a more paper-light environment.”

Paper as psychological crutch also meets the other common fear that “if absolutely everything happens electronically, what happens if something goes wrong?” Simon continues. And like so many fears, of course, it’s based more on ignorance than genuine peril. Paper documents are no less vulnerable to loss or theft – arguably they’re more so.

“It’s education that’s really needed,” says Simon, “sitting down with people to explain what the firm wants to achieve and the processes for getting there. Heavy-handed approaches to paper often just haven’t worked.

“There are going to be times where you genuinely do need it – and rigid policies can make people feel uncomfortable. It’s much more efficient to have a dialogue and allow things to filter down because they’re really behind an idea.”

Into space

Strictly paperless, tablet-only meetings, or daily clear desk policies, may be some way off for law firm people then – but there is a place for some operational guidelines, such as exactly what people need to keep in paper form.

“Different areas of law require different documents to be kept – but one of the first things you would usually do moving more paper-light would be to scan all incoming post and decide what you could then shred,” says Simon.

Replacing over-reliance on paper with the IT to render it redundant can also be a recruitment win.

“Being able to bring their own devices, great technology in the office, and a genuinely mobile working culture can be strong attractions for

millennials,” says Simon. There’s everything from up to four simultaneous

screens to allow comparison of multiple documents at one desk, to PC touchscreens that completely replicate the process of flicking through a folder. These are all aspects of change Lee Wakemans might cover with firms interested in changing working practices and space to improve efficiency (through its Optimise unit).

But one of the most innovative items in its space doesn’t even need electricity.

“There’s a paint you can buy to turn any wall in the building into an effective whiteboard,” says Simon.

Like collaborative wikis or other portals, this promotes discussion as well as cutting down on paper-heavy catch-ups. “Instead of everybody writing notes on a long internal meeting, one person writes on the wall, a photo’s taken, and there are your minutes to share,” she says. “People are standing up so they don’t become embedded, and meetings can all be much more efficient.”

One law firm has had the paintbrush out in its coffee area, for example – a space that’s also used to facilitate less formal collaboration on projects more generally.

But the collaborative apparatus that relies less on paper – fewer personal desks, more mobile working and informal meeting areas (white walls or not) – doesn’t have to be an enormous bite out of the cost saving achieved by cutting down on paper storage and printing in the first place. Simon cites leading research that shows all modern workplaces function best in terms of productivity with spaces designed around the ‘three Cs’ of concentration, collaboration and contemplation.

“The contemplation space is a bit controversial – really somewhere to be able just to sit and think, and to be honest, I don’t see law firms adopting that anytime soon,” she laughs. “Everyone is probably far too busy for pure thought time.”

Or at least they think they ought to be. Like the piles of paper, and the private closed office that shields it from the world, perception of constant activity could be another status – and perhaps fear factor to tackle.

Learn more aboutLee Wakemans www.optimisechange.com

May 2015

Optimise™ helps save money and improve business by assisting clients to transform their organisations. By taking a pragmatic, hands-on approach, we can help you to achieve quantifiable, long-term cost and efficiency savings. We assist clients in the following transformation areas: Cultural: freeing companies of outdated, heavily-embedded cultures; Process: improving processes and introducing new ways of working, such as Smart Working; Equipment: reviewing existing equipment, from the type of desks used to the type of IT software employed; Building: freeing up inefficient office layouts to provide a variety of spaces for quiet working, team areas and breakout collaboration areas. Contact us on 029 2044 2900 or visit www.optimisechange.com to find out how we can transform your business today.

...time to work well