Most of these buttons are useful to the novice user. There are better ways to handle numbering and formatting (styles). The [Quick] Styles gallery conceals the bulk of styles. The thing is, other methods that result in stable documents that withstand editing and minimize document corruption take training that the average user will not tolerate. Certainly, the corporate IT department won'tt provide that training.

• Basic Concepts of Microsoft Word - from Shauna Kelly
• The Importance of Styles in Microsoft Word
• Change Default Settings by Suzanne Barnhill, MVP