ISO 26000 - reflecting the process of a multi-stakeholder dialogue: An empirical study

Deliberative processes such as stakeholder dialogues and multi-stakeholder forums are an organizational form of the coordination and cooperation of individual and collective social actors. This paper discusses a process of developing a Social Responsibility Standard within a network made up of various stakeholders. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) is known as the world's leading institution for the development of standards. Apart from setting standards in the fields of e.g. construction, agriculture and information technology, recently the Technical Management Board (TMB) of ISO proposed to further extend its activities by developing an international standard addressing the social responsibility of organizations. In 2004, a new Working Group was established as a multi-stakeholder group comprised of experts who were nominated by ISO members as well as interested international and regional organizations in order to provide for guidance in setting international standards on social responsibility. In January and February 2008, the online survey was conducted subsequent to the fifth conference of the ISO Working Group in Vienna, Austria. The questionnaire is a follow-up study to a first survey undertaken at the third ISO Working Group meeting in Lisbon in May 2006...