CRI's Werner Braun on Collaborating With Boulder Principles

Werner Braun: Boulder Principles ease collaboration

In his May 20 column titled Boulder Principles ease collaboration for Dalton’s Daily-Citizen, Carpet and Rug Institute President Werner Braun continues his discussion of the Boulder Principles, a set of best practices for conflict resolution he helped develop when he was a toxicologist with The Dow Chemical Company.

Fully titled, “The Boulder Principles for Effective Collaborative Processes on Sustainable Development and Environmental Policy,” the principles serve as a template for effective collaboration among people of disparate backgrounds and viewpoints.

Mr. Braun talked about how the set of rules he helped establish in the Boulder Principles continues to inform his decisions today. In brief, the guidelines consist of these basic tenets:

1) create an ethical base for the collaborative process, 2) encourage participation by all affected parties, 3) create an atmosphere of trust, 4) support the needs of diverse cultures, 5) establish a transparent and easily accessible process, 6) provide access to technical information, 7) recognize interests and knowledge of all parties, and 8) monitor effects of decisions and follow-up regarding implementation. The article continues, describing how Mr. Braun would apply the rules in a presentation to carpet retailers on the benefits of CRI’s Seal of Approval program for carpet cleaning products and equipment.

“The first thing I would do during my presentation is illustrated in principle number five: establish a transparent and accessible process. This means presenting them with CRI’s mission, which is to position CRI as the source for science-based information on soft floorcovering. I would then proceed to establish a transparent and accessible process by clearly identifying issues, goals and work product.

For the next step, I would use Boulder Principle number six: provide access to technical information. The process of generating, compiling and analyzing information must be balanced by recognizing that there will always be uncertainties.

It would be easy to come to an agreement about indoor air quality if all parties knew that through CRI’s Seal of Approval (SOA) Program, indoor air quality can be improved by using cleaning products and vacuums that have been approved for overall cleaning effectiveness.

The last Boulder Principle I would use is number eight: monitor effects of decisions and follow-up regarding implementation. By now, I’ve given the listener a lot to think about, but it all has little value if I don’t follow up and see if they implemented using SOA products in their cleaning routines.

By the end of the discussion, what I’d hope the group got out of the collaboration process and using the Boulder Principles is that carpet cleaning products, methods and equipment are improving all the time, and because of this, people can have healthy indoor environments. Some still may be unsure, but I’m confident many would think twice before cleaning their carpet with products that weren’t SOA-approved.”

Thank you, Werner.

How might you see applying the Boulder Principles to your organization?

~Bethany