We spoke with Susan Offler, one of our MSc Strategy, Change and Leadership alumna, about her dissertation research focused around understanding neurodiversity in the workplace. Below she outlines for us how workplaces should be rethinking inclusion to ensure it really is inclusive.
If you ask a hundred people what the term ‘neurodiversity’ means, you’ll probably get a hundred different answers. Ask another hundred people who actually identify with that term and you’re likely to get another hundred different perspectives. That’s a lot of variation for a subject that often gets boxed into neat little categories that, according to research, doesn’t really fit anyone.
The workplace is a prime example. Businesses love to talk about inclusion, but the reality for employees who ‘think differently’ often involves outdated assumptions, frustrating stereotypes and initiatives that look good on paper but that don’t work in practice. In other words, there is plenty of enthusiasm but not enough understanding to make ‘inclusion’ inclusive.
So what’s going wrong? And more importantly, how do we fix it?
Labels: Handle with care
Labels are a tricky business. They provide necessary mental shortcuts so their use is inevitable, but the subconscious meanings attached to these labels often goes unquestioned. In the neurodiversity space, labels (diagnosis or behavioural) can help people find communities, access support and make sense of their experiences. However, they also come with baggage, especially when they originate from a medical system designed to diagnose and treat ‘illness’ rather than understand and accept differences. For example, many people with ADHD would argue they don’t have a ‘deficit’ of attention, they have an abundance of it, just distributed differently.
Using medical labels often invites assumptions that don’t reflect reality. In revealing a diagnosis you can almost see the cogs turning as people recall every pop culture stereotype they’ve ever absorbed. While Dustin Hoffman’s excellent performance in the film ‘Rain Man’ illustrated one form of autism and prompted more open conversations on the subject, it does not represent the experience of many with the same diagnosis, yet this is often the benchmark for comparison. Even newer terms like ‘neurodivergent’ can be problematic. It suggests there is a ‘normal’ that people ‘diverge’ from, but so far research has failed to define the criteria for normal or to identify anyone who would be able to meet it. This lack of societal understanding impacts the way neurodiversity is viewed within organisations and the assumptions made about those with neurodifferences.
Workplace inclusion: Theory vs. reality
Despite commitments to inclusion, there is a disconnect between what policies promise and what employees experience. Adjustments are often seen as favours rather than necessities and many employees hesitate to ask for them at all because once you disclose, you can’t take it back. Assumptions take over, impersonal procedures kick in and the individual gets lost in the process, often damaging their wellbeing in the process. Some describe being made to feel as having gone from being seen as a competent professional to a walking HR case file, all because of the unspoken assumptions that neurodiversity labelling provokes.
Part of the issue is that businesses are still built on outdated ideas of what a good employee looks like. The modern workplace evolved from the Industrial Revolution, which valued consistency, efficiency and fitting in. It wasn’t designed for people who process information differently, communicate in unconventional ways or think outside the (cubicle-shaped) box. And yet, research consistently shows that diversity of thought leads to better problem-solving, greater innovation and stronger teams.
But as the saying goes, there is strength in numbers.
The power of community
One of the most valuable workplace resources for employees who think differently isn’t a policy or process, it’s other people. Staff networks, informal communities and the creation of shared spaces for discussion offer something that formal initiatives often miss: real understanding.
Connecting with others who ‘get it’ (who don’t need lengthy explanations or justifications) can provide practical advice, emotional support and a safe space to be authentic. These groups help shift workplace culture by making different ways of thinking more visible and accepted and by providing confidence and communication skills to aid discussion and understanding.
But these communities shouldn’t have to do all the heavy lifting. Real inclusion means embedding understanding at every level of an organisation, from recruitment to leadership. It means designing workplaces that are flexible by default, not just as an afterthought when someone requests adjustments. It means promoting and reinforcing cultures that are curious, not dogmatic. And it means recognising that ‘normal’ is a myth. There is no standard human brain and our uniqueness provides value in shaping businesses for the future, if provided with an environment where it can be unleashed.
Moving forward: Rethinking inclusion
Neurodiversity, much like biodiversity, needs to be recognised as essential to a successful society rather than a problem that needs to be fixed. Just as ecosystems thrive with a variety of species playing different roles, so do businesses. Many who think differently do not consider it a ‘superpower’ or want to be seen as ‘different’, they want to be able to live and work in a way that values their strengths and doesn’t require mental gymnastics to conform to archaic ideas of normal. The ability for people to acknowledge bias, challenge outdated assumptions and embrace different perspectives are crucial if organisations want to realise the potential in their workforce.
Having the courage to have difficult conversations like these is more important than ever. Neurodiversity isn’t an illness to be treated; it is a unique aspect of human diversity that brings different strengths and perspectives. Focusing attention on greater self-awareness, promoting learning to understand and navigate our individual behaviours and embracing what makes us all unique is far more empowering than any kind of label or diagnosis will ever be.
Most importantly, kindness is key. In a world where so many people feel misunderstood, a little empathy goes a long way. By approaching each other with curiosity rather than judgment and recognising the assumptions we all make as a result of labels, we can break down barriers and create workplaces where everyone – regardless of how their brain works – feels valued, supported and empowered to thrive.
Everyone benefits from that.
Author: Susan Offler, MSc Strategy, Change and Leadership alumna, University of Bristol.
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