Neurodiversity and Work

This interdisciplinary work explores creating more inclusive workplaces around neurodiversity. It focuses on how organizations can promote true inclusion for neurominorities, a large segment of the emerging workforce while underlining the difficulties as well as the strength-based characteristics faced by this population. Beyond social, learning or communication challenges, neurominorities are often highly intelligent, honest, authentic, hyper-focused, innovative, skilled in various forms of perception, reliable, and resilient. Discovering ways for true inclusion can add value to organizations, helping all employees to learn and develop as colleagues while also helping neurominorities fulfill the goals of achieving dignity, respect, independence, and flourishing through work. This volume connects neurodiversity to disability in the workplace and examines the factors that contribute to the successful employment and integration of neurodiverse workers, including the transition from school to the labor market. It also highlights barriers and challenges faced by neurominorities. This book will appeal to scholars across business and the social sciences looking to better understand how neurodiversity should be addressed in organizational contexts. The multidisciplinary approach will accelerate management research and practices by providing insights already captured across a wide variety of disciplines, rather than prompting management researchers to build upon what currently exists solely in the management literature. Eric Patton is Professor of Management at Saint Joseph’s University, USA and Director of the HR & People Management undergraduate program. His research focuses on mental health in the workplace, absence from work, and gender issues in management. Alecia M. Santuzzi is Professor in the Social-Industrial/Organizational Psychology Program and Director of Research Methodology Services at Northern Illinois University, USA. Her most recent work considers social and individual factors that contribute to a worker’s decision to disclose a disability, and the costs and benefits of those decisions.