Managers, You Might be Preventing Neurodivergent Professionals from Reaching their Potential - Vanderbilt Business School
- “Workplaces that embrace neurodiversity often see increased innovation, creativity, and problem-solving.” ⤴️
- “One simple step managers can take is being clear and explicit about tasks and relational expectations on the job. Oftentimes, neurotypical managers misinterpret the actions of their neurodivergent employees as “poor fit” or “too gruff” because the manager has insufficiently set expectations and left what makes a good employee tacit.” ⤴️
- “When interpersonal collaboration is required, both parties to the interaction (neurotypical and neurodivergent) need to clarify their expectations and preferences. When these expectations and preferences are not explicit, misunderstandings about role duties and performance often follow.” ⤴️
- “different ways of thinking bring unique strengths to teams.” ⤴️
- “common strengths associated with autism include concentration, fine detail processing, memory, honesty, and sensory awareness.” ⤴️
- “Upon concluding education, neurodivergent individuals see a significant decline in formalized support and are often left to fend for themselves in a workforce designed on neurotypical standards.” ⤴️
- “In the professional world, neurodivergent individuals encounter challenges from the application and interview processes onward.” ⤴️
- “Other accommodations Vogus mentioned included separating unnecessary soft skills from role expectations and offering environmental changes depending on the employees’ needs like remote work, private workspaces with no windows, noise-canceling headphones, alternative communication methods, etc.” ⤴️
- “For the hiring process, Vogus discussed ideas like providing interview questions in advance and asking for work samples or providing exercises for candidates to ensure they have the skillset needed for the job, instead of relying on traditional interview processes. Candidates can be more fairly evaluated on their ability to perform a job based on displays of their work rather than verbal explanations. After all, workplaces should aim to hire those who can do the job, not those who can talk about the job.” ⤴️