Identifying and overcoming Organizational Barriers in Organizations to Ensure Universal Design in Practice: A Case Study of the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation

Abstract

Universal design (UD) of information and communication technology (ICT) is a fundamental principle that ensures accessibility to ICT products and services, anti-discrimination, and in turn equal ability participation in society for all. Previous research suggests that NRK’s publishing system, Polopoly, does not create or promote the creation of accessible content on NRK’s website (Kessel, Sanderson, & Chen, 2014). In addition to this, previous research shows that NRK’s website does not comply to national regulations, i.e., WCAG 2.0, and that users experience usability barriers when using NRK’s website (Sanderson, Chen, & Kessel, 2015). This research’s aim is three fold. First, this research aims to extend previous research at NRK (Kessel et al., 2014; Sanderson et al., 2015) on how the editorial employees experience and use the publishing system Polopoly. Second, this research aims to identify barriers that hinder universal design (UD) in practice. Lastly, this research aims to present recommendations for how these barriers can be solved to promote, ensure and achieve UD of NRK’s website in practice. The identification of barriers is conducted through an instrumental case study at NRK, where one on-site observation and seven semi-structured interviews is used as data collection. Document data at NRK was also collected and analyzed. Through the use of a theoretical framework on institutional theory, this research regards NRK as a social institution, containing members, rules, policies, values, practices and barriers. Institutional change theory can be applied to NRK when regarded as an institution. This theory is the fundament on which the recommendations to solve the barriers are created. This research suggests that NRK’s editorial employees, as an institution, experience multiple barriers concerning accessibility and UD awareness, organizational collaboration and structure, and various technological barriers that affect their ability to promote, ensure and achieve UD in practice. In addition, this research shows that the work environment and the inherent properties of their profession continuously pressure the editorial employees with time, which further inhibits the ability for institutional change. This research recommends that NRK employ institutional layering to promote, ensure and achieve UD in practice without causing sudden or major changes in the organization. The recommended solutions can be read in Section 9.2.