Becoming a high-performing, neurodiverse software team at Rabobank

Neurodiversity Community Meeting

Friday January 19th, Rabobank’s Neurodiversity Community got together for sharing and brainstorming about the next steps to grow as a community. Following this session a workshop was hosted by Carel Aeijelts Averink in collaboration with Bjièn, whose mission it is to help unlocking the power of neurodiversity at work.

The game

“Becoming a high-performing, neurodiverse software team” is a tabletop game in which players are confronted with realistic scenarios from the everyday reality of a cloud software development team. It provided an insightful look into the dynamics of neurodiversity in the workplace.

Key takeaways for us included a reinforcement of our existing understanding of psychological safety’s importance and realizing that we’re already quite ahead in that respect at Rabobank. The game scenarios, such as dealing with a product owner demanding a feature by the next day, and navigating situations where an engineer is struggling silently, sparked meaningful discussions about effective team support and collaboration.

Experience

One of the participants of the workshop was very enthusiastic. They wrote:

What I enjoyed most was that participants engaged in thought-provoking conversations about real-world challenges. For instance: how to respond when a colleague is dealing with personal issues? If we’re supportive of each other, it makes a team run more effectively and makes us all more productive and happier in our work. This really emphasises the need for empathy and understanding beyond just professional support.

One notable learning outcome was the understanding that individuals’ reactions to situations can be vastly different. The game highlighted that while social events might energize some, like having drinks after work, but they can be draining for others - stressing the need for tailored approaches in team interactions.

The facilitation by the game creators, who shared their experiences as neurodivergent individuals, also brought unique insights. Their perspectives emphasized the diversity within the neurodivergent community itself, by sharing how they divide their teamwork into activities that energizes the person doing the task.

This workshop aligns with Rabobank’s commitment to raising awareness and promoting inclusivity, especially within software teams.

This customer testimonial was written by Karin Grimmelikhuijsen - Hooghuis of Rabobank.