Neurodiversity in (Not Only) Public Organizations: An Untapped Opportunity?

• Author: Petr Houdek
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00953997211069915
• Published date: 01 October 2022
• Date: 01 October 2022
• Subject Matter: Perspectives

https://doi.org/10.1177/00953997211069915

Administration & Society

2022, Vol. 54(9) 1848 –1871

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/00953997211069915

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Perspectives

Neurodiversity in

(Not Only) Public

Organizations: An

Untapped Opportunity?

Petr Houdek1

Abstract

This perspective shows how neurodiversity can increase public organizations’

innovations and output quality. Studies from business and entrepreneurship

fields are used to argue that public organizations may prosper if they recruit

neurologically atypical individuals. Their unique thinking styles, coping

strategies, and life experiences can lead to public services innovation. The

management of public organizations through neurodiversity programs

may gain competencies benefiting all employees. However, the promotion

of neurodiversity cannot be achieved without demanding changes in

organizational culture. The article also illustrates the benefits of neurodiversity

using the example of a neurogenerative disease (toxoplasmosis).

Keywords

neurodiversity, policy entrepreneurs, innovation, public organization,

Toxoplasma gondii

There are widespread and long-standing criticisms of governments’ selec-

tion, hiring, and human-resources processes worldwide. Regarding the case

of the U.S. civil service system, Thompson (2021; p. 584) writes: “narrowly

1Prague University of Economics and Business, Czech Republic

Corresponding Author:

Petr Houdek, Faculty of Business Administration, Prague University of Economics and

Business, náměstí Winstona Churchilla 4, Prague 130 67, Czech Republic.

Email: petr.houdek@gmail.com

1069915AAS0010.1177/00953997211069915Administration & SocietyHoudek

research-article2022

Houdek 1849

defined jobs hamper the assignment of tasks, and byzantine hiring rules

impede the procurement of needed skills.” There is also no doubt that public

employees should be more diverse, more active in identifying social issues,

and more innovative in creating initiatives to solve them, that is, taking risks

as policy entrepreneurs (Teske & Schneider, 1994). Many public organiza-

tions and agencies are aware of these issues and try to reevaluate their job

descriptions and capacities to provide reasonable accommodations for tal-

ented minority candidates and to reduce employment barriers to serve their

constituents more effectively (Kellough & Naff, 2004; Pitts, 2009). This

article wants to show that there is a significant untapped opportunity in these

endeavors, in the employment of neurologically atypical individuals.

Research on personality and neurological disorders and psychiatric illnesses

are primarily carried out within the theoretical framework of a “deficit.” The

disease is seen as a set of symptoms deviating from normalcy, and represent-

ing a negative burden for the affected person; also, the disease status means

an exculpatory or legally mitigating role in cases where individuals with psy-

chiatric illnesses are charged with a crime or a misdemeanor (Shields &

Beversdorf, 2021). As a consequence, the employment of mentally disabled

people is considered a challenge, with a need for special laws (such as the

Americans with Disabilities Act in the U.S.), norms, treatments, or subsidies

from welfare and other government support programs (Kim, 1996). However,

as management and entrepreneurship studies in recent years have shown,

neurodiversity can, under certain circumstances, lead to higher levels of

innovation and productivity within organizations.

Neurodiversity is described as an atypical neurological development, in

extreme cases representing a psychiatric illness, as a normal human differ-

ence (Jaarsma & Welin, 2012; Ortega, 2009). Many people with attention

deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, social anxiety disorder,

autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), and other similar diseases and disorders

do not only suffer from negative symptoms of the illness; they also excel in

specific skills such as pattern recognition, memory or computational tasks, as

well as in creativity and unconventional thinking (Baron-Cohen et al., 2009;

Dawson et al., 2007; Soulières et al., 2011; Tafti et al., 2009; White & Shah,

2011). For example, a department of the Israeli Defense Forces analyzing

aerial and satellite imagery has a group staffed primarily with people with

ASD; “[i]t has proved that they can spot patterns others do not see” (Austin

& Pisano, 2017; p. 100).

The evidence from the literature on this topic implies that the very symp-

toms associated with the disorders may become advantageous in some spe-

cific administrative, innovative, or organizational jobs. Governmental and

public organizations, therefore, can and should use this talent. What makes