Bridging the gap: Communicative rules and resources in d/Deaf-friendly organizations

• Main Authors: Cano, Alliyah Claire B., Kim, Hannah Maxine L., Papa, Hans Syfer V.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2024
• Subjects: Communication in organizations; Deaf people; Organizational Communication
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_comm/79; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_comm/article/1174/viewcontent/2024_Cano_Bridging_the_gap__Communicative_rules_and_resources_in_d_Deaf_fri.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Guided by structuration theory (Giddens, 1984) and Scott’s (2013) application of the theory, this study explores the case of Caravan Food Group, Inc. (CFGI) as a d/Deaf-friendly social enterprise that establishes its own rules and resources in order to allow its hearing and d/Deaf employees to coordinate effectively. In this context, challenges in effective coordination have been heightened when organizations such as CFGI embrace a distinctive goal that requires having to deal with unique circumstances. In this case, thematic analysis from qualitative methods such as participant observations and semi-structured interviews was conducted to discover how CFGI uses its rules and resources to initiate effective communication and coordination between its employees. Results revealed that the organization has been practicing the following to address this: (1) employing certain communication materials and technologies to aid their employees’ interactions, (2) establishing shared values that CFGI employees account for to help their relationships and communication amongst one another, and (3) engaging in sensitivity trainings to improve cultural awareness between the hearing and the d/Deaf. This research contributes to the growing literature on organizational communication in the persons with disability (PWD) community context and serves as a foundation for future studies regarding the inclusion of marginalized groups in organizations. Findings reveal new insights into the realities also faced by the employees within d/Deaf-friendly organizations and how they try to adapt to each other’s differences. The research also tackled how hearing and d/Deaf employees draw on the organization’s prescribed communicative rules and resources to mitigate their communication challenges. Keywords: organizational communication, structuration theory, communicative rules and resources, employee coordination, d/Deaf-friendly organizations