h) Group Structure. There is much confusion as which group structure (or combination of structures) maximises creative output. Workshop leaders randomly seem to make people work alone, in pairs, or in small or large groups. Each combination has strong arguments for and against:

i)The individual working alone can be very creative; after all, many people who are acknowledged to have made great contributions to society have worked alone. ii)Pairs reduce path dependency and enhance intellectual cross-pollination that limits individual. iii)Many successful enterprises grow rapidly in early stages, when there are only a small team of people working together. iv)Large groups benefit from massive intellectual cross-pollination but introduce politicking, core and peripheral groups, a dilution of ideas and more negatives.

i) The degree of knowledge input has a significant effect on output. There are three types of knowledge input:

i)Tacit knowledge. That experience which results from a natural life-long interest and curiosity in many subjects and experiences. ii)Depth versus Breadth. Can someone with limited knowledge of a field make a significant contribution to it? Does excess knowledge cause blinkered vision? iii)Networks and Collaboration. Importing competencies from networks and collaboration overcomes path dependency and parochialism and allows greater frame breaking.

A disproportionate amount of time and administrative resources is consumed just getting invoices approved for payment. The problem becomes compounded when invoices are lost when being circulated for clearance and even more time is then lost in retrieval process.

Typically these documents include purchase invoices from suppliers, sales invoices to customers and purchase orders generated by customers.

Even if missing documentation is successfully recovered from system, delay will have caused major inconvenience. If it is not recovered, effects on business are routinely disruptive, and in extreme cases, disastrous.

TokOpen is a powerful document management and workflow software solution that goes far beyond conventional document capture and storage. Uniquely flexible, package allows systems to be configured to meet customers’ specific needs.

How TokOpen works

Automated data entry allows invoices to be scanned, indexed and stored in system, avoiding time-consuming manual entry. Automated reading can take two forms: either header reading (reference number, client name and amount); or full line item reading. Alternatively, invoice information can still be entered manually if required.

Once in system, invoices are electronically routed through a workflow process that includes notifying all authorised staff when an invoice is waiting for their approval. Online reports are automatically generated where invoices awaiting approval are delayed or missing. These reports are configurable, so they can be set up to cover other factors critical to successful payment completion.

Internal security is built into system, and access controls ensure that only authorised staff can open invoices or related documents. Audits are automatically maintained on all documents as they progress through system, so each time they are accessed or amended, time, date, identity and activity details are logged.