–By Nabeela Vela
In preparation to compose this article, to understand the meaning and importance of Neurodiversity in the workplace, I canvassed the opinion of a number of contacts working across different employment sectors, and asking the question – “What does Neurodiversity and Inclusiveness mean to you”?
The most common responses came under the heading – “I have no idea what Neurodiversity means or what it relates to” – although some naturally identified that Neuro had some relationship with the brain and/or a cognitive function.
I then asked the question – “What does Diversity in terms of Inclusiveness in the workplace” mean to you? Naturally, I had a range of responses to this question.
Drawing on these responses, I realized that most of us are not aware of the meaning of the phrase.
Simply put, Neurodiversity or Neurodivergent means “someone who thinks differently from the majority,” whereas Neurotypical means the opposite – “someone who thinks and behaves in the same way as the majority of society”.
Some key facts:
l 1 in 7 people in the UK are Neurodivergent – Source: Brett Farmiloe, Markitors
l Neurodivergent minds are diverse in their thinking
l They absorb information differently, which enables them to look, and address challenges in an alternative way to others.
l By having the ability to think differently – outside the box – very often proves attractive to would be employers:
l They challenge old habits and established ways of looking at things.
l They add value by invariably being more creative and are lateral-thinking.
l Therefore, the best performing teams will have a percentage of people with Neurodivergent minds.
In the African context, it is important to remember that unconscious bias and cultural stigma remain in our workplaces. It is key that in an organization’s culture, they should breed the need to be in an environment that promotes inclusion, diversity and embracing each person’s uniqueness.
In our society, it takes consistent work to deconstruct these biases by recognizing these unwanted deep-rooted beliefs and limiting their influence. This is the only way our actions will match our intentions.
What does that mean to me?
To me, it means that we are all unique, we all have our strengths and weaknesses. The workplace would be very one-dimensional if we were all the same, thought and acted the same, processed and approached things the same and, ultimately, had the same perspective.
Embracing diversity & inclusiveness is, for me, the heart of embracing Neurodivergent minds.
Working and collaborating with colleagues with Neurodivergent minds allows for more productivity because of the diversity of thought. A different approach to tackling tasks and challenges in a different way opens the door to innovation and creativity.
What does Inclusion mean to me?
When I reflect on the meaning of inclusion, I think of an environment where no one feels “left out”, where we can be ourselves and our voices are heard, respected and valued.
We respect, nurture and appreciate the people we work with and understand that we are all unique, regardless of job role, background, experiences, differences…and, indeed, whether we have Neurodivergent or Neurotypical minds.
Each one of us have a responsibility to educate ourselves, to listen and to act to make our environment as inclusive as possible. Together, we can create an environment that represents values of Integrity, Openness, Prudence, Innovation and Excellence.