Desenvolvimento de competências no contexto da diversidade nas organizações: um estudo sobre os desafios dos gestores frente à inclusão da pessoa com deficiência

Abstract

This study has as its main objective the analysis of the manager s experience when engaging peoples with disabilities (PwDs) to their team work. The intention was to find out what the meaning of the word engagement conveyed by these managers is and to what extent this meaning has been transformed into inclusive practices. The idea of the study was to identify what results this engagement could bring up as to the learning processes which give support to the improvement of the managers skills when dealing with the PwDs universe. It consists of an exploratory study driven through the qualitative interpretative basic method, proposed by Merriam. The data presented have been collected from five distinct multinational companies from different areas, as follows: agro-business, automotive, publishing, energy and diesel technology. In-depth interviews, and semi-structured ones have been carried out with managers who hold disabled people in their team work for at least one year; with the peoples with disabilities (PwDs) themselves under their command; and with the staff in charge of the Engagement Program of all of these companies as well. The way of dealing with the collected data was the one of the interpretation of the textual information content by Gil Flores. For the accomplishment of this study, the following authors and theories have been consulted: for the diversity issues, Cox Jr.; as a reference to the concept of engagement and deficiency, Sassaki and Amaral; as to the notion of social identity, Tajfel; and, for the competence and learning matters, Sandberg, Cheetham and Chivers, Kolb, among others. The data analysis revealed that, for the managers, the engagement act is much more related to the social justice issue than to the idea of the empowerment of the PwDs. Such interpretation led them to prioritize the development of two competences: behavioral and ethical, and value ones. The main learning process identified to improve these competences was the existential one, which drove the managers to review their concepts, question and modify their beliefs and, as a consequence of these reflections, review their management techniques. The study now presented intended to enlarge and deepen the discussion on the theme from a new perspective: the manager as an engagement agent.