When discussing diversity, we often consider age, gender, migration background, sexual orientation, religion, etc. But we rarely talk about neurodiversity. It is also literally invisible. Nevertheless, every company comes into contact with this form of diversity without even realising it, and it has an enormous impact on the productivity, team dynamics and returns of organisations.
What is neurodiversity?
Neurodiversity is the idea that people experience and interact with the world around them in many different ways.
There is no one “right” way of thinking, learning, and behaving, and differences are not viewed as deficits.1
In other words, it refers to the variation of the human brain. In the sense that everyone thinks, communicates, and perceives the world differently. In short, everyone belongs under this term.
The added value of the minority group in the workplace
When we look at neurodiversity, we notice that society and the workplace are often organised according to a standard norm, which was unconsciously set by a majority that thinks, communicates and perceives the world very similarly. This makes it difficult for a minority who, due to this standard, have to bend over backwards day in and day out to fit in and be able to do their job. As a result, they cannot be their best selves and use their full potential in the workplace, leading to a considerable loss of returns for the company. And that cannot be the intention. Especially not if we want to work towards inclusion and equity in the workplace.
This minority is also called a neurominority or neurodivergent persons (neurodivergence) in the professional literature. This group includes people with a medical label such as ADHD, autism or ASD, dyslexia, dyspraxia, etc. But also people without a medical label: highly sensitive, gifted, introverted, etc. Because they also collide with the same set standard.
According to research, the first group is estimated at 15 to 20% of the world’s population.2 This estimate includes people without a medical diagnosis. And we still need to add the second group. So, we are talking about a large group unconsciously present in every company.
Until now, this minority group has rarely been listened to or paid attention to in the workplace. Too bad, because research3 also shows that the strengths and insights of this minority group combined with those of the majority - a neurodiverse team - lead to more productive teams that perform much better than homogeneous teams when psychological safety is present.
These neurodiverse teams excel in innovation, resilience and productivity when the right setting is put in place, leading to higher returns for the company, i.e. it’s a win-win.
What’s next?
First and foremost, the concept of neurodiversity must be made more widely known within companies, and the awareness of what added value neurodiversity creates in the right setting in the workplace. Therefore, let us join forces and together make neurodiversity more widely known. Please share this article with your team members, friends and family. Subscribe to our RSS feed to stay informed of our following articles on neurodiversity and neuroinclusion.
Harvard Health Publishing, by Nicole Baumer and Julia Frueh ↩︎
Neurodiversity at work: a biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults (Nancy Doyle) ↩︎
Exploring the Relationship between Team Diversity, Psychological Safety and Team Performance: Evidence from Pharmaceutical Drug Development (Henrik Bresman and Amy C. Edmondson) ↩︎
Daphné learnt how to create a safe work environment for and lead a team of neurodivergent people, after she was diagnosed with ADHD and autism. She started Bjièn with Dietrich to help other leaders and teams with the awareness of neurodiversity and make their workplace neuroinclusive. — More about Daphné