Movimiento Congruencia: Serving Mexican Workers with Physical Disabilities
By Otavio Carrera Santa Cruz, Alejandra Guzmán Barraza, and Asbjorn Osland
Octavio Carrera and Alejandra Guzmán Barraza work for CEMEX. Asbjorn Osland is a
Professor of Business at San Jose State University.
I. Introduction
A. Case Synopsis: Mexico-based Movimiento Congruencia (MC –
http://www.congruencia.org.mx/index.asp) is an alliance between companies, hiring agencies,
and other institutions focused on the integration of people with disabilities into the workforce
and society. The need was acute because of the estimated 31,035 people with disabilities with
professional education only 7,618 were working in 2000 (http://www.inegi.gob.mx ). This
represented a loss in qualified candidates to the overall labor pool and also a personal tragedy for
the people with disabilities who had sought out education and then not been able to find work.
The leadership of MC wrestled with two dilemmas: one was personal coaching for people with
disabilities while the other was whether or not to insist that members commit to targets:
1. MC members do not all coach their employees with disabilities adequately. Rodolfo
Efraín Ramírez Cuéllar, discussed below, is an excellent example of success in terms of
emotional balance and professional excellence, but not all colleagues with physical
disabilities are as capable. Due to their disabilities, they have a greater probability of
being fired from their companies, or simply not being considered for a promotion. It’s
essential that a coaching process should be offered to employees with disabilities so that
the possibility of success increases. How can this be accomplished?
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2. Initially, MC decided not to push other companies for specific objectives regarding the
employment and retention of the people with disabilities or the creation of accessible
buildings. Committing to targets could potentially cause some companies to avoid MC
because they may suffer embarrassment at not being able to achieve the desired results.
MC, founded in 2000, now has years of experience and it knows what works and what
doesn’t; should it encourage objective targets and help companies achieve them or should
it remain welcoming to all companies that want to join regardless of objective
commitment to meeting targets?
B. Case Objectives:
To learn to coach employees with physical disabilities so that they can succeed
To differentiate between encouragement and support to meet goals versus specific
objective targets
To evaluate the benefits and risks of lobbying for governmental action in a voluntary
arena
To better understand what individuals can do to help people with physical disabilities
integrate into the workforce
II. Classroom Management
A. As a homework assignment, students can also read about and evaluate the origins and
evolution of the American Disabilities Act in the US. Then ask a team to report to the class
on their findings and lead a Q & A with the class (20 minutes)
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Ask a student to facilitate the case by using the following structure: situation analysis,
problem definition, solution identification and implementation plan. The central idea in case
teaching is to teach problem solving and this is one method. The instructor sits down and
observes the process after having instructed the facilitator to pose questions and listen for
responses. Facilitators need to learn to be silent rather than fill voids with their chatter. (20
minutes)
Instructor summarizes key issues. (10 minutes)
In the remaining ten minutes, the instructor leads discussion of the Facilitating Questions and
Answers listed at the end of the case. The first two questions were answered in the case analysis
time outlined above. The focus here is on discussion of the last two questions. (10 minutes)
B. Facilitating Questions and Answers – The first two questions are part of the problem solving
process used in the case:
Situation analysis: Mexico-based Movimiento Congruencia (MC –
http://congruencia.org.mx/index.asp ) is an alliance between companies, hiring agencies, and
other institutions focused on the integration of people with disabilities into the workforce and
society. MC began in 2000 with 11 participating companies, and eight years later 62
organizations were taking part. Yet the population of employed disabled workers had grown
slowly and there had not been enough upgrades in member buildings to make them accessible.
Its leadership had not lobbied for a bill to reform national or state disability laws to require
employment of people with physical disabilities and architectural changes to make buildings
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accessible. It seemed to be stuck at the level of several members hiring people with physical
disabilities and making buildings more accessible but too many MC members merely spoke
about hiring people with disabilities but didn’t follow through.
Problem definition: The problems are specifically identified as the following:
1. MC members do not all coach employees with disabilities adequately. Rodolfo Efraín
Ramírez Cuéllar is an excellent example of success in terms of emotional balance and
professional excellence, but not all colleagues with physical disabilities are as capable.
2. Initially, MC decided not to push other companies for specific objectives regarding the
employment and retention of people with physical disabilities or the creation of
accessible buildings. Committing to targets could cause some companies to avoid MC
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Solution identification: Since there are two distinct but related questions, we identify two
solutions:
1. In terms of interacting with employees with physical disabilities or prospective
employees to support and coach them, one must work to create a climate where people
with disabilities feel welcomed and one where employees are sensitized to the presence
of employees with disabilities and aware that they perform as well as other employees
The coach has to understand the motivation of the person being coached, listen
and empathize, challenge people to work towards stretch (possible but difficult) goals,
reward where appropriate, help employees get the resources they need to succeed, be
aware of the political and economic reality of the organization to put matters in context,
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in the personnel about people with disabilities so as to successfully integrate them as new
team members. He also continued to contribute to the integration of people with
2. CEMEX and other leaders within MC could work with one another to see what CEOs were
Implementation plans: Again the two solutions require two plans:
1. Learning to coach employees with disabilities is a social process that begins with
consciousness raising and education. Some employers no doubt pitied people with
disabilities but preferred that they stay at home under the care of relatives or that their
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Asperger syndrome; I of course didn’t identify the student but it was evident that he had
some challenges. The television series “Boston Legal” had a lawyer with Asperger
syndrome; this educated the public as well. Employers should provide personnel with
2. Motivating other MC member organizations to do more should be based on a social
process wherein CEOs encourage one another and MC provides its members with
support. Progress had been made in that the members of MC worked to integrate people
with disabilities into the workplace. The universities ensured that the cognitively capable
Within executive networks it’s often important to be seen as a leader amongst
one’s peers. CEMEX and the other leaders within MC could encourage one another
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within the social network of MC to take pride in accomplishments associated with MC
and being honored for having done so in public forums.
Internally, MC members that were ready to commit to improving hiring of people
with disabilities and removing barriers by making their facilities accessible could commit
A. Application Questions and Answers listed at the end of the case.
The first two questions listed deal with coaching and how to get MC members to do more and
they were covered in the case analysis. The remaining two will be discussed here.
1. Should MC leadership lobby for a bill to reform national or state disability laws
to require employment of people with disabilities and architectural changes to
make buildings accessible?
As stated in the question: “This could result in a national dialogue to raise awareness but
the risk was that the governmental authorities could pass onerous requirements that some
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emissions, accessibility or what have you and appear socially responsible while also creating a
The legislative process varies from one jurisdiction to another. In some, such as
California, lobbyists actually write most of the proposed legislation and legislators propose and
The regulatory process can also be unpredictable. Ministerial officials may adopt rules
MC members would be better off developing its set of skills to hire and integrate people
with disabilities and also show what could be done to reasonably accommodate them in terms of
accessibility and other accommodations. After gaining experience and learning what is feasible
2. What can individuals do to help people with disabilities integrate into the
workforce?
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There are several levels of individual preparation. People need to have the willingness and desire
to welcome and accommodate people with disabilities. Then they need training to better
3. Concluding Questions: What did you learn from this case?
Student responses will vary depending on their exposure to disabilities and understanding of how
organizations change and grow in their approaches to this aspect of corporate social
responsibility. In the US, ADA obligated employers to enhance accessibility and make
E. Other References and Resources (Recommend Internet Sites or Books/Articles)
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Acemoglu, Daron, & Angrist, Joshua D. (October 2001). Consequences of employment
protection? The case of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Journal of Political
Economy, 109, (5): 915-957.
Burgdorf, Robert L., Jr. (Summer 1991). The Americans with Disabilities Act: Analysis and
implications of a second generation civil rights statute. Harvard Civil Rights-Civil
Liberties Law Review, 109 (5): p. 413 – approximately 118 pages.
Colker, Ruth. (Winter 1999). The Americans with Disabilities Act: A windfall for defendants.
Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, 34 (1): 99-162.
DeLeire, Thomas. (Autumn 2000). The wage and employment effects of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. The Journal of Human Resources, 35 (4): 693-715.
Hotchkiss, Julie L. (Fall 2004). A closer look at the employment impact of the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Journal of Human Resources; 39 (4): 887-911.
Locke, Edwin A. & Latham, Gary P. (1984). Goal setting: a motivational technique that works!
Englewood Cliffs, NJ : Prentice-Hall.
Makas, Elaine. 2010. Positive attitudes toward disabled people: Disabled and nondisabled
persons’ perspectives. Journal of Social Issues, 44 (1): 49 – 61.
Swain, John. (1993). Disabling barriers– enabling environments. London; Newbury Park, CA:
SAGE Publications.
General web sites:
http://www.ada.gov/
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilities.htm
http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/vre/
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http://www.goodwill.org/goodwill-for-you/specialized-services/people-with-disabilities/
http://www.dralegal.org/
http://www.access-board.gov/links/disability.htm
Examples of web sites focused on specific disabilities:
http://www.afb.org/
http://www.nad.org/
http://www.nationalmssociety.org/index.aspx
http://www.aspergersyndrome.org/
Some Relevant Mexican web sites:
www.dif.sip.gob.mx : Mexican public institution of social assistance that focuses on
strengthening and developing the welfare of the Mexican families.
www.sep.gob.mx : Governmental department responsible for education and culture in
Mexico and is headed by the Secretary of Public Education, a cabinet position analogous to the
education ministers of other nations.
www.inegi.org.mx: Autonomous agency of the Federal Mexican government dedicated to
the collection and organization of statistical, demographic, geographical and economic
information on the country.
www.libreacceso.org: Non profit organizations that works to eliminate phisical, social
and cultural barriers that act against the developement of people with dissabilities.
www.cdhdf.org.mx : Public institution that enjoys judicial, organizational and functional
autonomy from the federal government.
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