Bridging invisible differences: a relational approach of neurodiversity in teams, employee networks, and organizations

Diversity and inclusion are fundamental to addressing today's complex social challenges, as highlighted in the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Embracing neurodiversity can foster inclusive work environments, reducing inequalities and stimulating innovation, contributing to the SDGs good health and well-being (SDG 3), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10). Moreover, as neuro-inclusive workplaces contribute to equality, they uphold the overarching principle of "leaving no one behind." However, the journey towards neuro-inclusive teams and organizations presents its own challenges, which is the central focus of this dissertation. Specifically, this dissertation provides a relational perspective on neurodiversity in work contexts across various levels, ranging from individual interactions and team collaboration to employee networks and organizations.
The first study, presented in Chapter 2, provides a systematic and integrative review of cognitive and neurodiversity in groups, analyzing their effects on group processes, emergent states, and outcomes. The study introduces a framework distinguishing cognitive diversity among team members as horizontal and vertical differentiation, emphasizing that horizontal differentiation tends to generate process gains, while vertical differentiation may lead to process losses. This study shows the dual impact of this form of deep-level diversity as it can foster task synergetic processes but also pose relational dissolutions.
In Chapter 3, Chapter 4, and Chapter 5, we empirically test different conceptual models on neurodiversity in team dynamics. In Chapter 3, we examine the impact of neurodiversity on team performance, particularly the role of horizontal differentiation and social cognitive integration. Using data from 40 organizational teams, we test a moderated mediation model, revealing that neurodiversity fosters social cognitive integration only when horizontal differentiation is high. Social cognitive integration, in turn, mediates the relationship between neurodiversity and team performance, concluding that neurodiverse teams perform better when they effectively integrate their cognitive resources. Chapter 4 investigates the interplay between neurodivergence, boundary-spanning activities, social skills, and diversity climate. Through a multilevel analysis of 357 employees across 70 organizational teams, the study finds that neurodivergence negatively impacts conversational and work-related social skills. However, engagement in boundary-spanning activities (i.e., interactions that connect individuals across team boundaries) mitigates these effects on social skills. Furthermore, conversational social skills significantly mediate the relationship with a positive diversity climate. These findings underscore the potential of inclusive workplace practices that encourage neurodivergent employees to engage in cross-team interactions, ultimately enhancing both individual and group-level social skills. Chapter 5 examines the impact of neurodivergence on psychological safety, relationship quality, and team identification. This study is also built on a multilevel analysis of 70 teams and reveals that neurodivergent individuals often perceive lower psychological safety that negatively affects their team identification and relationship quality. However, teams with a higher proportion of neurodivergent members report higher overall psychological safety, team identification, and relationship quality than homogenous neurotypical teams. The study also explores the moderating roles of neurodiversity awareness and social acceptance, finding that social acceptance significantly enhances team identification at the individual level. The findings of these three chapters contribute to our understanding of neurodiversity in team dynamics at both individual and group level as steps towards neuro-inclusive team collaborations based on the cognitive strengths of both neurodivergent and neurotypical employees.
One of the most complicated aspects of neurodiversity research is that many neurodivergent individuals do not receive formal diagnoses, and those who do are often misdiagnosed. In Chapter 6, we aim to explore whether self-identified neurodivergence can serve as a valuable measurement for our research purposes. This study examines the cognitive differences between neurodivergent and neurotypical employees, focusing on the added value of self-identification alongside formal diagnosis in predicting these differences. Based on data from 357 participants across 19 organizations, the study confirms distinct cognitive profiles for various neurodivergent conditions. The findings reveal that self-identified neurodivergence significantly enhances the predictive power of formal diagnoses, suggesting that self-awareness of neurodivergence is sufficient for capturing cognitive differentiation due to neurodivergence in organizational research.
Chapter 7 evaluates the impact of various neurodivergent conditions on the satisfaction of fundamental psychological needs (autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and their subsequent effects on life satisfaction and stress as well-being indicators. Analyzing 2,214 life stories from individuals worldwide by using two advanced large language models, the study reveals that giftedness and dyslexia are positively associated with the fulfillment of all three psychological needs, while other neurodivergent conditions mainly impact the satisfaction of these needs negatively. Furthermore, the satisfaction of these needs collectively mediates the relationship between neurodivergence on the one hand and life satisfaction and stress on the other. These findings can serve as a foundation for scholars that further investigate the psychological needs satisfaction of neurodivergent individuals and offer valuable insights for practitioners who aim to design effective well-being interventions tailored to this population.
In Chapter 8 and Chapter 9, we look beyond the team level and focus on diversity-oriented employee resource groups, with a particular focus on employee neurodiversity networks. Chapter 8 analyzes diversity networks as employee-driven diversity management practices through the lens of a multilevel conceptual framework. We identify four key functions of these networks: individual social support, developing a salient and positive social identity, organizational lobbying, and institutional entrepreneurship. The study also outlines the requisites for these being effective in achieving these functions as a network at the network, organizational, and societal levels. Furthermore, it discusses three fundamental dilemmas that these networks hinder in being effective in multiple functions simultaneously, called "dynamic evolution," "management ambivalence," and "false dualism." By examining the governance dilemmas faced by diversity networks, the chapter provides insights into their transition from social support systems to a role as ethical agents advocating for inclusive organizations and societies. Chapter 9 delves into neurodiversity networks as we investigate these employee-driven initiatives' evolution, dynamics, and relational challenges. Through eighteen interviews with network chairs, members, and other employees, the research discusses seven key themes that provide insight into the establishment and functioning of these networks. The chapter discusses the enablers and barriers these networks face, especially as they evolve and shift in their pursuit goals, as well as to what extent organizational embedding is required or harms autonomy. Moreover, two unique mechanisms are unveiled, called "the (vicious) circle of relational challenges" and "the salience of the invisible." Since this study is one of the first attempts to explore the phenomenon of neurodiversity networks, it lays the ground for future research investigating their effectiveness and impact.
As a downside, the societal focus on diversity and inclusion has introduced a new phenomenon known as diversity washing. Chapter 10 presents a systematic literature review on this emerging research field and provides an overview of the antecedents and consequences of engaging in diversity washing. Based on a sample of 15 relevant studies, the results outline three primary motivations for organizations to engage in diversity washing: masking discriminatory practices, pursuing financial benefits, and mimicking successful peers. Besides that, it discusses various strategies that organizations use to engage in diversity washing, such as lacking robust diversity policies and using diversity awards for public image management. The consequences of diversity washing include eroding public trust and damaging organizational reputations. In addition to these findings, the study presents three theoretical propositions about the conditions under which managerial interpretations of normative pressures are mixed or incongruent, leading organizations to engage in diversity washing.
Chapter 11 presents an exploratory study of how top leading companies report their neurodiversity efforts. Collecting and analyzing 318 reports from the top 45 companies in the Fortune Global 500 list, the research identifies five key areas of neurodiversity reporting: financial and material donations, product and customer experience development, employee stories, neurodivergent hiring, and employee resource groups. Moreover, the results show that major companies with fewer employees, those based in North America, and those with more than twenty percent female representation in top management teams report more on neurodiversity practices. The research also discusses three potential signs of neurodiversity washing, like, for example, companies that develop products and customer experiences designed for this population, presenting this as philanthropy while they directly financially profit from this proposition. This study provides a foundation for future research on deep-level diversity reporting and offers insights for companies and policymakers to enhance neuro-inclusiveness.
In our concluding chapter, we translate the insights from our studies into a blueprint for developing neuro-inclusive organizations. We discuss nine strategies for practice, and thereby, we provide managers, HR professionals, and other practitioners actionable insights for their daily strive to promote neuro-inclusion and create a richer, more productive work environment.