The role of managers is of course complex. But to Andy Grove, management guru and author of the groundbreaking book High output management, the central task was to maximize the output of a team. Managers who can “exploit” their team in this way, Grove says, can be force multipliers that lead to superior performance.
If we are to follow Grove’s path, part of managing is identifying what gets in the way of optimal team performance. A challenge that continues to be addressed is burnout. Exhausted employees – mentally and physically – can of course no longer contribute to ideal team performance. A new Gallup poll shows that one in four government workers is burned out. It’s just the latest example of a $2 trillion problem facing the U.S. economy.
Anyone can experience burnout. However, workplace burnout is an ongoing issue, particularly in the neurodivergent community. Neurodivergent people – including autistic, dyslexic and ADHD sufferers (and perhaps up to 20% of the general population) – appear to be particularly at risk of burnout in the workplace, to the extent that “neurodivergent burnout” is a common one is a recognized and accepted phenomenon.
Neurodivergent burnout can have many similarities to what we might call “neurotypical burnout” – chronic fatigue and lethargy, difficulty asking for help, mood swings, and more. However, it also has more specific characteristics that are more likely to be found in neurodivergent workers and can include social withdrawal, overload of executive functions – leading to memory impairment, for example – and significantly reduced tolerance to sensory stimuli.
Neurodivergent burnout can of course arise from overwork, but other factors often play a role as well. This can include stress and confusion about work expectations (due to poor communication) or a lack of accessible support. Also likely a big factor here is what is known as “masking” – essentially trying to mask one’s neurodivergent characteristics and trying to present them as “neurotypical” to others.
Most knowledge workers remain imperfectly familiar with the very concept of neurodiversity, despite the growing awareness of the size of the neurodivergent population and despite the proven high achievements of the many business icons of our time (Richard Branson, Elon Musk, Barbara Corcoran, to name a few). ). only a handful) who are themselves neurodivergent.
A recent study in the UK found that 33% of neurotypical managers do not know what “neurodiversity” means, and this number is likely higher in the US and other markets where neurodiversity is less known in the corporate sector than in the UK .
There are many incentives for neurodivergent people to not hide at work – by seeking support (that could be simple flexibility) and feeling like they can truly be themselves around colleagues. But this level of cultural ignorance significantly discourages disclosure, which is why many neurodivergent people choose not to share it with others in the workplace. As a result, masking – and the significant distress that comes with it – is all too common, something that saps individuals’ energy every day, reduces productivity, and accelerates the possibility of burnout.
According to Gallup, managers account for 70% of the variance in employee engagement and continue to play a large role here – but because many are uninformed about neurodiversity and therefore uncomfortable discussing the topic, burnout challenges are catalyzed by neurodivergent masking will probably last.
In contrast, individual contributors in teams with a basic awareness and familiarity of neurodiversity—indeed, with the crucial insight that every team is by definition neurodiverse—can feel more comfortable expressing their (and others’) preferences and needs disclose. This helps create a more comfortable space for disclosure and a far better chance of achieving Andy Grove’s vision of optimal team performance and productivity.
Photo credit: Flickr user Kathleen Leavitt Cragun
Ed Thompson is the founder and CEO of Uptimize, which has helped companies like Google, Salesforce, IBM, Accenture and JP Morgan empower their teams by harnessing the talents of all neurotypes.
Thompson is an authority within the Neurodiversity at Work movement, which has highlighted the unique abilities of neurodivergent people such as those with autism, ADHD or dyslexia, and highlighted the fact that these talents are often unintentionally excluded in the workplace.
His book, A Hidden Force, provides a compelling example of how companies gain a competitive advantage by nurturing the talents of all types of thinkers on their teams.