Abstract: Externality refers to the economic cost or benefit that is not reflected in price.Actions with positive externality are usually in shortage,while those with negative externality are often excessive.With the aid of the externality theory,we can deepen our understanding of excessive paperwork and meetings and probably can find out some solutions.The author of this paper thinks that hidden negative externality exists in excessive paperwork and meetings,and that negotiation and norm restriction might be feasible solutions for this problem.