For those of us who grew up with the white hall system of managing office records, it was unthinkable to shift to a paperless office with partial or full automation. The old office assistant who was just a clerk was a walking-talking encyclopedia on all the files listed from A to Z. No references were required-only a mention of the subject or the initiator of the communication. He would produce all the relevant correspondence duly flagged so that at any given time,you had a full background of the case. It was also necessary that after each correspondence was in- warded with a number on it,(which tallied with the register of incoming/outgoing mail) a collation cover(CC) was attached, in which the entire case was analysed by the coordinating officer. After obtaining the views of all those connected within the department, this file would go the boss with a clear recommendation of the next step to be taken. The CC was not accessible to any one outside the department. The filtered output of the decision would then make its way to other departments in a file titled Branch Memo(BM) on which concerned branches collated their respective views,.
Admittedly, the process was long and tedious but it was so thorough that decisions taken were perhaps the most well considered ones given that all the relevant information was available at all times. Was the system fool proof? To the extent that those handling it complied with all procedures.
Now that the paperless routine has been invented I find that communications are instant, hierarchies have been flattened and decisions are expedited. But inability to process all facts related to the case along with comments and suggestions offered by lateral and collateral organisations remains a major area of concern. Generally, e mails accessed on cell phones just do not give you a historic perspective of the case,thus resulting in less than optimum decisions.
While the private sector has been able to automate office work to suit their unique requirements which includes cyber safety devices and e signatures etc hacking and phishing continue to be areas of concern. Back up of correspondence,ability to store and retrieve data and most importantly limiting accessibility to authorized users, continue to challenge administrators.
Governments including the Central Govt find themselves caught between the devil of expediting decisions and the deep sea of automating office work such that the guiding principles of the white hall system are not violated. Hence e mail which is the most preferred communication medium in the industry and private sector continue to be a secondary form of communication in the Government. At best progressive state and central govt organs have put in place a file tracking system which brings in accountability with respect to time.
The greatest of all concerns is that the good old systems of filing have been long forgotten, as the recruitment of clerks have been suspended along with the training that enabled them. The present lot of personnel neither know the manual system and its virtues nor the automation along with all its vices.
Are you surprised that so many scams are being perpetuated within the system-a system which can neither differentiate nor correct itself during the crucial phase of transition from the manual office system to the fully automated one. Administrative reforms need to address this by using personnel of yester- years and the whiz kids of today.
Admittedly, the process was long and tedious but it was so thorough that decisions taken were perhaps the most well considered ones given that all the relevant information was available at all times. Was the system fool proof? To the extent that those handling it complied with all procedures.
Now that the paperless routine has been invented I find that communications are instant, hierarchies have been flattened and decisions are expedited. But inability to process all facts related to the case along with comments and suggestions offered by lateral and collateral organisations remains a major area of concern. Generally, e mails accessed on cell phones just do not give you a historic perspective of the case,thus resulting in less than optimum decisions.
While the private sector has been able to automate office work to suit their unique requirements which includes cyber safety devices and e signatures etc hacking and phishing continue to be areas of concern. Back up of correspondence,ability to store and retrieve data and most importantly limiting accessibility to authorized users, continue to challenge administrators.
Governments including the Central Govt find themselves caught between the devil of expediting decisions and the deep sea of automating office work such that the guiding principles of the white hall system are not violated. Hence e mail which is the most preferred communication medium in the industry and private sector continue to be a secondary form of communication in the Government. At best progressive state and central govt organs have put in place a file tracking system which brings in accountability with respect to time.
The greatest of all concerns is that the good old systems of filing have been long forgotten, as the recruitment of clerks have been suspended along with the training that enabled them. The present lot of personnel neither know the manual system and its virtues nor the automation along with all its vices.
Are you surprised that so many scams are being perpetuated within the system-a system which can neither differentiate nor correct itself during the crucial phase of transition from the manual office system to the fully automated one. Administrative reforms need to address this by using personnel of yester- years and the whiz kids of today.
