Your team is divided on eco-friendly materials. How can you bridge the gap and move forward with the project?

From my perspective, I prefer engage among team, brainstorm with their suggestions and put all together to evaluate by providing opportunity to each contributing members. This will enhance a culture of resilience and creative thinking. We then jointly evaluate materials by looking at sustainability, availability, impact, cost, acceptability and in line with the scope, budget and timeline.

Open Discussion: Talk it out! Help in a respectful discussion of green products (concerns + ideas), Cite recent developments on environmentalist benefits of ECO materials and demo case examples Develop & Evaluate: Conduct a brainstorming activity to identify cost-effective, performant solutions. Compare options using a cost-benefit analysis Phased Approach or Hybrid: Target eco-materials in a pilot phase of small project, Or hybrid options driven by trial and error with traditional paths. Decision-Making Framework & Objectives: Develop definitive guidelines for the selection of materials based on principles such as environmental footprint, cost and performance.

Create a space where open conversation thrives, allowing for the understanding of diverse viewpoints. Establish a common goal for the group to utilize environmentally friendly materials. Regular monitoring helps maintain transparency and correct any misalignments. Empower the team to explore and propose practical solutions. Continuously track progress, recognize achievements, and keep the strategy under constant review.

My perspective: I give each member to think creative and critical while proposing eco-friendly materials. We place all ideas on sticky papers and use a wall / board to highlight each contribution. We then discuss conventional and market available materials . Later each contribution member is promoted to present their ideas and all participants make their points based on their experience and ask questions. Likewise we come up with different ideas, solutions, and their practical application. We then consider all potential ideas in line with SDGs and draft a comparative analysis by critically evaluating potential impact, emissions, readily accessibly, durability, LCA, cost, client acceptance, within scope, time frame budget.

My perspective: I give each member to think creative and critical while proposing eco-friendly materials. We place all ideas on sticky papers and use a wall / board to highlight each contribution. We then discuss conventional and market available materials . Later each contribution member is promoted to present their ideas and all participants make their points based on their experience and ask questions. Likewise we come up with different ideas, solutions, and their practical application. We then consider all potential ideas in line with SDGs and draft a comparative analysis by critically evaluating potential impact, emissions, readily accessibly, durability, LCA, cost, client acceptance, within scope, time frame budget.

An example I observed in corporate discussions, critical and creative discussions are supposed to be by the executives and participating members mostly refrained to discussing and sharing creative ideas. This is a hurdle. On contrary, teams with leaders mostly facilitate each member and value their input. Thus when we receive creative alternatives and after compiling them, we identify the most suitable materials based on criterion. The three most suitable mutually agreed solutions are further evaluated and finalised. This provides team a confidence, credibility, critics and a sense of engagement.

De acuerdo a mi experiencia, lo más pertinente es contar con una matriz de decisión, partiendo del hecho de que contamos con cierto presupuesto que posiblemente acotará algunas opciones. Esta matriz debe incluir también algún punto que evalúe la facilidad para conseguir el material y la disposición del grupo objetivo, para usar dicho material ecológico. Otras cosas a considerar son el tiempo de vida útil, si existen proveedores locales o no, lo que apoyaría al comercio local, si existe experiencia para trabajar con ese material, etc.

If new strategies are required, it is always advisable to have one in place. This involves creating a detailed plan for sourcing, utilizing, and managing eco-friendly materials throughout the project’s lifecycle, as this is the subject that needs to be addressed. Clear communication with all stakeholders is crucial. By explaining the reasons for this choice and highlighting its environmental and economic benefits, you add value to the ongoing process and the new path created when the strategy is implemented.

Addressing the challenges is very important and that will only come with experience and how open we are for feedback. So, an end to end monitoring system has to be there in place to ensure the scope is defined well.

The team is very important at every stage and their views carry a lot of value. So if we have the team engagement planned well any challenge that might come during any phase of project can be addressed without any further delay.