Cognitive inclusion in DEI emphasizes creating workplaces that embrace diverse thinking styles, benefiting all employees. Inspired by neurodivergent inclusion, this approach enhances productivity, engagement, and innovation by fostering a supportive culture without the need for formal disclosures.

Lisa Colledge’s presentation at The Neuroverse Virtual Summit 2024 highlighted how embracing a culture of cognitive inclusion can transform organizations. Key takeaways include upskilling to adapt to change, leveraging cognitive diversity (such as skills from dyslexia, autism, and ADHD) for effective problem-solving and innovation, and fostering a culture where all team members feel valued. Prioritizing strategic cultural change enhances employee engagement, wellbeing, and productivity, driving sustained success and competitive advantage.

To maximize institutional impact, it's crucial to go beyond merely increasing diversity and focus on creating a cognitively inclusive culture. While diversity in research, students, and staff is important, the real advantage comes from enabling everyone to contribute their best. This means fostering a culture that values different cognitive styles, such as those found in neurodivergent individuals, and providing support that enhances mental wellbeing and engagement. Research shows that such a culture not only improves individual and team performance but also amplifies the institution's societal impact.

Dyslexics exhibit superior holistic visual-spatial processing and memory for contextual information, which enhances their creativity and ability to generate novel ideas. They excel in original thinking, accuracy in predictions, and problem-solving flexibility, thanks to distinct brain structures and connections. While dyslexics might struggle with precise details, their cognitive strengths complement those of others, highlighting the evolutionary advantage of diverse cognitive styles and the importance of fostering an inclusive organizational culture to leverage these varied abilities.

Large corporations often acquire start-ups to boost innovation and gain employees with a risk-taking mindset, while start-ups seek the scale and resources of corporates. However, integration challenges like power imbalances and culture clashes can hinder success. Lisa argues that a cognitively inclusive culture, which embraces diverse thinking styles and values curiosity, respect, and open communication, can facilitate smoother integrations and accelerate benefits from acquisitions. She suggests that focusing on such a culture during acquisitions can prevent negative outcomes and enhance overall innovation.

Advocating for enhancing innovation culture by embracing diverse cognitive styles crucial for thriving in dynamic environments. It highlights traits associated with ADHD that align with effective exploration behaviors, crucial for innovation. By fostering an inclusive environment that accommodates neurodiverse individuals alongside neurotypicals, organizations can tap into a spectrum of specialized skills, ensuring adaptability and competitiveness.

Measuring neuro-inclusion in organizations by focusing solely on the proportion of neurodivergent employees overlooks the essence of true inclusion. Rather than fixating on headcounts, organizations should define outcomes driven by neuro-inclusive practices, such as enhancing innovation culture. By identifying metrics that measure improvements in innovation and collaboration, organizations can effectively gauge the impact of their neuro-inclusive initiatives. These metrics, complemented by qualitative insights, provide a holistic view of organizational change, ensuring that neuro-inclusion leads to meaningful transformation rather than mere tokenism.

Inclusive brainstorming taps into the collective genius of diverse teams by accommodating different communication and thinking styles, particularly those of neurodivergent and introverted individuals. Humans have evolved to excel at problem-solving through specialized sub-groups, and to capture their full potential, brainstorming processes need to be more inclusive. Best practices include sharing materials beforehand, offering a mix of verbal and written contributions, and allowing time for post-session input. By fostering an environment that supports diverse approaches to ideation, teams can unlock a wider range of creative solutions and ensure that all ideas are heard.

The article discusses two types of people in organizations: Sparklers, who excel at generating new ideas, and Trailblazers, who are skilled at executing them. Both are essential for innovation and adapting to change. Success requires fostering collaboration between these complementary styles within a supportive culture, ensuring both types thrive for optimal organizational performance.