Promotion of Administrative Modernization through Processes Dematerialization

In today’s information society, many organizations are looking for new approaches to improve the production, organization, handling and retrieval of information processes, using new Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). The dematerialization emerges as one of the solutions, promoting clear, structured and transparent processes, especially when the problems are associated with the existence of documentation in paper format. It comprises a range of practices as, workflow and electronic documents management, aiming the elimination of inefficiencies caused by the circulation of information in paper format, as well as the elimination of resources associated with maintenance and retrieval of information in that format. The increase in productivity, which often results from processes dematerialization, comes from the decrease in the amount of time to perform the tasks, the effectiveness of human resources attached to those tasks, the quick access to information, and also from the improvement of communication flow between different services. The dematerialization concept is not new and it is already implemented in some organizations, particularly in the Public Administration, but the scientific literature related with its implementation process is somehow unexplored. Thus, it happens that each organization makes their own interpretation of the dematerialization and adopts ad-hoc methodologies, since there is no common framework. On the other hand, the lack of a methodology to guide the implementation of dematerialization practices sometimes leads to the abandonment of the project and consequently its failure. In technological terms, the paradigm is favourable. Currently there are some solutions strategically adaptable to the size, type and business challenges, using open-source technologies and, thus, making available to organizations low cost solutions. The popularity of these technological solutions (open-source) represents a way to reduce the initial investment by organizations, and may also offer advantages in terms of mobility and collaboration, so it can be a good ally to the implementation of this type of projects. However, despite this possibility, there are few organizations that benefit from administrative modernization through processes dematerialization. This article aims to contribute to that knowledge area, providing a theoretical framework in order to clarify some concepts, methodologies and tools relating to promotion of modernization based on processes dematerialization and thus being able to help organizations understand the benefits and commitments that arise with its adoption.