By Chris Griffiths, the author of The Creative Thinking Handbook and founder of ayoa.com [1], the app supporting neurodiversity in the workplace

In recent years, the importance of diversity in the workplace has finally started to receive the attention it's long deserved. Not only is diversity significant in terms of ensuring equal opportunity, research tells us [2] that companies with a more diverse workforce are 35% more likely to achieve greater financial returns than their non-diverse counterparts.

Those tangible benefits are now being taken seriously by businesses who are initiating new hiring strategies and establishing frameworks to support inclusion for existing members of staff. Yet, one key area of diversity is all too often overlooked in business and the world at large - neurodiversity.

A neurodiverse workplace features employees who are both neurodivergent and neurotypical. While neurotypical individuals tend to process information in similar ways, neurodivergent people have different neurological makeups which means they often see and approach work differently. Conditions such as dyslexia, dyspraxia, ADHD, and autism are just a few of the diagnoses associated with neurodivergence. Once upon a time, these differences were seen as a negative or in some way "limiting", but as our understanding has improved, it's become clearer that neurodivergence comes with a whole host of benefits pertinent for a healthy, innovative workforce.

Given these associated positives, it's no wonder that neurodivergence is also frequently linked to entrepreneurship. In a 1997 Apple ad [3], Steve Jobs praised "the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently" - crediting them with pushing humanity forward. It's true that neurodivergent individuals have played a key role [4] in humanity's progress - from Alan Turing to Albert Einstein - now imagine the power those individuals would have had if they weren't forced into square holes in the first place!

With an estimated 30-40% of the population thought to be neurodivergent, here are a few of the many skills neurodivergent employees bring to the workplace (and why you need them in your workforce).

Big picture thinking

All of us have biases and assumptions which quietly cloud the way we tackle workplace problems and approach new projects. In evolutionary terms, these systems of thinking can be helpful as they provide us with a way of running on autopilot. You wouldn't, for example, want to re-learn how to walk every morning. Yet, these systems of thinking can also blind us to what we're really dealing with.

As famed neuropsychologist Donald Hebb once said [5]: "neurons that fire together, wire together." In other words, repeated modes of thinking create grooves in the brain which we are then more likely to click into on a future occasion. Patterns of repeated thinking are not helpful when it comes to seeing the big picture, getting a fresh perspective on something, or considering long-term goals.

This is where neurodivergent individuals differ. While those with dyslexia, for example, may be known for challenges with text processing, what's less well known is their knack for pattern-spotting. The same part of the brain which can make synthesising text difficult, also allows dyslexics to see things in a novel way which is often invisible to neurotypical folk. With a clearer view of the bigger picture, dyslexic and other neurodivergent individuals make stellar strategists and wonderful leaders. Rather than getting bogged down in the nitty gritty of the daily work, they can work on trailblazing the best path to achieve major ambitions.

Attention to detail

Needless to say, neurodivergence accounts for a vast range of skills and neurological make ups. While some neurodivergent people may be amazing at seeing the big picture - as just discussed - others hang their hat on an incredible attention to detail. In the modern workplace, information is thrown at us from every angle. When it comes to balancing inboxes, documents, meetings and notifications, the onslaught of data can make keeping a grip on the detail a real challenge.

Yet, this is exactly where some neurodivergent employees can really prosper. People with autism, for example, are known for having better than average memories and a natural tendency to hone in on the details. When it comes to data sifting, or keeping a handle on the important stats, neurodivergent individuals can put their elevated powers of observation and memory to good use.

Of course, everybody makes mistakes - but with neurodivergent individuals on the team, you're sure to make less of them (and catch them earlier when you do). Like a choir singing different notes to harmonise, teams work better when they're truly neurodiverse. With individuals skilled at both big picture thinking and detail-orientation, you can cover all bases for projects which run to their maximum capacity every time.

Unlocking innovation for problem solving

The future is upon us. With automation growing at a huge rate, businesses are facing up to the reality that speed and efficiency are no longer what drives competitive advantage (in fact, according to the World Economic Forum [6], 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025, as adoption of technology increases). So, what do businesses need to keep evolving and growing? Innovative problem solving.

Innovation is the remit of applied creativity, of thinking differently, and forgoing the status quo. It's also something which - given a neurological propensity to see the world differently - neurodivergent individuals have in bucket loads. In fact, the link between neurodivergence and innovative problem solving is so established that top creative employers such as NASA and Google seek them out (hardly surprising given a report from Forrester [7] which shows that such diversity ensures innovation, profit and talent retention).

With a neurodiverse team, everyone can learn to challenge their biases and take on new perspectives in order to seek non-linear solutions to even the trickiest of problems. Have you ever been encouraged to "turn the problem on its head"? Well, that's because new angles reveal new solutions - something neurodiverse individuals are especially skilled at identifying.

Given the greater flexibility which is required to facilitate a truly diverse team in the first place, hiring neurodivergent employees is actually one of the quickest ways to give your company the shake-up it needs in order to reveal untapped, novel solutions to recurrent roadblocks. Welcoming neurodiversity makes for a truly enriched workforce who see problem-solving as something fun, rather than intimidating.

Get diverse, get flexible

Of course, despite the many talents associated with neurodivergence, it's important that appreciation never tips over into tokenization. So, if you want to unlock and support neurodivergent employees within your own business, remember that no one way of working suits everyone, and by facilitating flexibility you can support neurodiversity in your team and business. As they say, variety is the spice of life - and with a truly diverse team, you can look forward to a brighter and sustainable future.