5 Ways to Bring Greater ‘Neuroinclusion’ To Your Team
Neuroinclusion matters to organisations more than many are aware. It is recognized that there is no one “normal” brain: as a result, teams and organizations are by definition “neurodiverse” (as are humans, of course, more generally). This means that every interaction at work, from a conversation between colleagues to a meeting, sales presentation or job interview, takes place between people who experience the world differently as a result of how their brain is wired. In a large firm, thousands of such interactions are happening simultaneously… yet, as most people have never been taught about neurodiversity in the education system, most participants in such interactions do not typically consider neurodiversity, or neuroinclusion.
This reality can serve to disadvantage neurodivergent professionals, whose own preferences may not suit the norms that emerge when neurodiversity is not considered (a norm, for example, being noisy open-plan offices, another being a huge reliance on interviews – and, consequently, social skills - in application processes…). Cultures where neurodiversity is poorly understood can also be highly uncomfortable for neurodivergent team members, leaving them at the risk of ignorant stereotypes, and preferring to “mask” their neurodivergence over being their true selves. Such masking, of course, comes with a potential impact on both mental health and productivity, yet one study in 2021 suggested as many as 90% (!) of neurodivergent employees typically choose this route, due to concerns with how disclosure will be received.
Neuroinclusion also matters to organisations for reasons of wider business performance. It is proven and accepted that more diverse teams produce stronger results, and it is no great leap to see the value to driving “diversity of thought” of people who see the world differently. Indeed, the creative skills of neurodivergent people have been highlighted by academics, writers, and neurodivergent celebrities: ““my dyslexia has shaped Virgin right from the very beginning”, says Sir Richard Branson, “and imagination has been the key to many of our successes”. Organisations that have taken steps to embrace neurodiversity at work have seen a rapid impact on innovative capacity, whether in the words of one manager “sharpening up the thinking” of their teams, individual neurodivergent employees filing for patents, or deliberately highly neurodiverse teams being constructed to (successfully) meet the demands of urgent business challenges.
The legal industry is now beginning to focus on this topic, too – though some neurodivergent professionals in the industry grumble about the slow pace of change when compared to other industries such as tech and finance. Regardless of the pace of neuroinclusive change in your own organization, here are 5 things you can do right NOW to help bring greater neuroinclusion to both your team and your firm:
Recognize and talk about your own work preferences, and invite others to share theirs. As every team is – by definition – neurodiverse, you and your colleagues will have naturally different preferences when it comes to working due to the ways your different brains are wired. As a colleague, manager or recruiter, be conscious that your preferred way of doing things – for example, your preferred communication channel – may well be different from that of others. Don’t just assume the way that seems right or “normal” to you suits everybody! Instead, talk about your own preferences here, and invite others to share theirs: this is an easy way to demonstrate that you recognize that people are different, and that you are willing to tailor your working style to the preferences of others.
Consider neuroinclusion in every interaction. At Uptimize, we train organisations on neuroinclusion, and we always consider not just building of knowledge and skills but also building awareness of all the opportunities for practicing neuroinclusion. We find, often, that corporate employees are already equipped with some effective inclusive behaviours, but neglect many opportunities to put these into practice due to failing to consider neurodiversity. A simple example: interviews. Be aware that candidates may present differently as a result of how their brain is wired, and don’t take a flatter affect in a candidate’s speech or unusual body language as indicative of lack of interest on the part of the applicant.
Connect with others who care about the topic. The early 2020s have seen a huge rise in neurodivergent self-advocacy at work, and the emergence of neurodiversity enterprise resource groups that combine neurodivergent staff and allies. Such groups can be spawned from existing diversity groups, such as those focused on disability more broadly. If your organization does not have such a group, start one!
Highlight the importance of neuroinclusion, whenever you have the opportunity to do so. Many firms have employee surveys, and ask employees to share topics of importance to them, and areas (including aspects of DEI) they would like to see their organization pay more attention to. Some firm’s neuroinclusion initiatives have been sparked by strong feedback from their employees that neurodiversity important to them and can no longer be overlooked… so if you have any opportunity to do so, highlight to the rest of your organization that this is a topic it should be paying (significant) attention to.
Make the business case for greater neuroinclusion at your firm. Diversity, equity and inclusion efforts should not need a ‘business case’, many argue, but in reality your organization is likely to need some persuading that doing things differently is important, urgent and in its interest. You can do this by pointing out the basic demographic facts – perhaps 1 in 5 people are neurodivergent in some way – and the (likely) reality that your firm has declared itself commited to DEI more broadly, but lacks any focus or tools to support neuroinclusion. Point out too that many organisations, today, have recognised this blind spot – and in the Glassdoor age of transparent employee reviews, those that fail to do so risk losing talent to competitors.
Ed Thompson is the CEO and founder of neuroinclusion training company Uptimize. He is also the author of the #1 Amazon bestseller “A Hidden Force – Unlocking the Potential of Neurodiversity at Work”.
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