Great minds don’t think alike: The business case for neurodiversity

When Temple Grandin worked for the cattle industry in the 1970s, what set her apart, besides being the only female employee, was her ability to see what the animals saw. 

“I looked at what the cattle were looking at when they moved through the chutes to get vaccinated. The cattle would refuse to walk over a shadow, or they’d bark if they saw a reflection off the bumper of a vehicle,” she told Big Think+ in an interview. “Other people didn’t notice. It was just so obvious to me.”

After not speaking for the first three years of her life, Grandin was diagnosed with autism. The experts of the day recommend she be institutionalized; instead, her parents enrolled her in a special school and encouraged her to pursue her abilities. In her case, that meant art. She drew horse heads over and over and over before advancing to the rest of the body and then the stable. By the time she was five, she was mainstreamed with other children her age.

Like the cattle she would eventually observe, Grandin lived in a sensory-based world and faced it with the same hyper-vigilance. She could detect the smallest detail that might be out of place, from the smallest untethered chain to a newly formed water stain on the ceiling. Zeroing in on these visual cues in her environment wasn’t something Grandin tried to do; it’s how her brain processed information.

Today, Grandin is a scientist, author, and distinguished professor of animal science at Colorado State University. Her designs for more humane livestock-handling systems transformed the beef industry. She also advocates for the interests of the autistic community and has written several books on the subject, including her most recent, Visual Thinking.

Far from a burden, Grandin’s autistic gifts have turned out to be her superpower, and she encourages businesses to harness the potential of all types of minds. That’s not a request for charity either. Neurodivergent minds bring different perspectives to businesses and the challenges they face. As Grandin notes, these perspectives improve how teams create, operate, and problem-solve — which, taken together, builds more productive and robust teams.

What is neurodivergent thinking?

Neurodiversity refers to the understanding that people naturally vary in how their brains work. The term is typically used in the context of neurological and development conditions, such as autism, dyslexia, and ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder). More broadly, it recognizes that everyone thinks about and approaches the world differently, and each thinking type brings something unique to the table.

Some people think about the world in pictures and focus on minute details. With their movie-playing minds, these “visual thinkers” can easily imagine how things operate and are great at mechanical tasks. They may excel in the creative visual arts, such as photography, painting, and sculpture, as well.

Conversely, a “visual-spatial thinker” will favor patterns and calculations, typically pursuing professions in physics, chemistry, and computer programming. “Verbal thinkers” are logically-minded and do well in sales, teaching, and the legal professions.

Many people also mix different styles, while others, like Grandin, are extremely gifted in one.

Neurodivergent minds in the workplace

Recognizing the differences in how people think can help you organize your team to increase its potential. By balancing people’s unique cognitive strengths and pairing them with matching tasks, you improve their subjective experience, which leads to higher levels of productivity and job satisfaction. That, in turn, strengthens overall team metrics, such as higher completion rates and reduced absenteeism and turnover.

For example, imagine you work for a food manufacturer, and your team needs to rework the factory system to improve product consistency and increase efficiency on the line. With a neurodiverse team, you can align team member strengths to the tasks they’re best suited for while also shoring up each others’ weaknesses. The result is a turbo-charged process. A visual thinker will be able to imagine how to improve the mechanics of the manufacturing equipment, while a visual-spatial thinker can crunch the numbers to come up with new metrics for success. Then a verbal thinker can write up a logical, step-by-step execution plan and also work on the presentation to pitch the plan to senior leadership. All great individually, but together even better. 

Building a neurodiverse team

One challenge to building a neurodiverse team is that the traditional hiring process adopts a one-size-fits-all approach. It focuses on a narrow set of skills, such as verbal presentation, and those may not even be the skills needed to excel in the position. 

For instance, you may interview a computer programmer over Zoom, find she isn’t very talkative, and decide to pass on her resume — never giving her the chance to demonstrate her expertise. Examples like this show why hiring neurodivergent thinkers requires a different approach. 

Instead of a traditional interview, you may consider a portfolio review alongside a “hands-on” evaluation, in which you assess a candidate’s skills with a test project over several days. Grandin also suggests companies leave open a “back door,” so they might be able to find other ways to show what they can do.

When Grandin was designing cattle handling facilities, instead of trying to get an appointment with human resources for a sit-down interview, she took her ideas directly to the feedyard manager, who showed them to the plant manager. Her approach sidestepped the often multi-layered interview process and brought her ideas right to the end user — and it worked. She got the job. 

Rather than requiring would-be talent to sneak around your human resources department, try to find ways to officially open new doors for them.

Another challenge is learning how best to communicate with neurodivergent thinkers. People tend to lean into the communication style they favor, which is, in turn, influenced by their thinking type. Team managers are no exception, but to get the most out of your neurodivergent team, you need to meet them where they are so they can better understand what you are trying to convey.

Grandin suggests team managers try some of these communication strategies:

• Use written instructions, preferably bullet points.
• Don’t be vague with feedback. Be specific instead.
• Be concise and get straight to the point. Don’t rely on generalities or spend time talking around the point.

It all comes down to understanding each individual’s thinking style, then utilizing them in the best way possible.  

Great minds don’t necessarily think alike

Seeing what others didn’t allowed Grandin to blaze new paths and achieve tremendous success. And she’s not alone. Neurodivergent thinkers can bring unique talents and gifts to the workplace, but it’s up to us to find appropriate ways of hiring, organizing, and communicating with teams so they can shine.

Hiring people with neurodivergent minds makes good business sense. Unique thinking styles offer new ways of problem-solving, which can energize teams, leading to higher productivity, and ultimately a happier, more contented workforce.