Sometimes, just one.
Neuro-inclusive management doesn’t have to begin with organisation-wide change. One manager may not be able to transform an entire workplace, but they can make a meaningful difference to the people in their team. And sometimes, the changes that make the biggest difference are surprisingly simple.
When we talk about neuro-inclusive workplaces, we often focus on policies, strategies, leadership commitment and training programmes. These all have an important role to play.
However, what happens when an organisation isn’t ready to make changes? What if progress is slow, or the people who recognise the need for change don’t have the authority to implement it across the business?
Does that mean nothing can improve until everyone is on board? I don’t believe it does…
What does neuro-inclusive management look like in practice?
Imagine someone who regularly spends time searching for information they need to do their job.
They aren’t sure where the latest document is stored. Different colleagues give different answers. Consequently, they waste time checking, asking questions or recreating something that already exists.
Now imagine their manager establishes where that information belongs, makes it easy to find and ensures everyone knows where to look.
That might seem like a small administrative improvement. However, for someone who previously spent significant mental effort searching, second-guessing and worrying about getting things wrong, it could transform their working day.
The effort involved in making a change isn’t necessarily a measure of its impact.
How managers can create a more neuro-inclusive team
Managers influence many aspects of working life, even when they have limited control over organisational policies.
For example, they can:
- Make instructions or feedback clearer, and reduce unnecessary ambiguity.
- Agree who is responsible for what and when tasks need to be completed.
- Establish what a finished task or successful outcome looks like.
- Make information and documents easier to find.
- Improve meeting structure and record decisions.
- Explore individual strengths and working preferences.
- Offer flexibility and autonomy wherever possible.
- Create an environment where people feel comfortable asking questions.
These changes can benefit everyone. However, they may be particularly valuable for neurodivergent employees who experience additional cognitive effort when navigating unclear expectations or inconsistent processes.
Importantly, neuro-inclusive management doesn’t mean treating everyone identically.
It means creating working conditions that are clear, accessible and flexible enough to recognise individual differences.
Using The NEW E.R.A. Method® for neuro-inclusive management
I developed The NEW E.R.A. Method® to provide a practical framework for building a neuro-inclusive workplace.
Although the framework can support organisation-wide improvements, managers can also apply its principles within their own teams.
The method has three interconnected stages.
Explore
Start by understanding how work currently happens.
What helps people work effectively? What creates unnecessary confusion or frustration? Where are people spending time and energy overcoming obstacles that could be reduced or removed?
Involve the people doing the work. After all, they often have valuable insights into what needs to change.
Refine
Next, identify opportunities to improve existing ways of working.
This might involve clarifying responsibilities, improving instructions, making information easier to find or simplifying a process.
The aim isn’t to introduce unnecessary rules or bureaucracy. Instead, it’s to remove preventable confusion and make work easier to understand and manage.
Adjust
Finally, recognise that even a well-designed process won’t necessarily work equally well for everyone.
Explore individual needs and preferences. Consider where flexibility or alternative approaches could help people work more effectively.
Keep reviewing what works, too. People, teams and circumstances change, so working practices may need to evolve.
Managers don’t have to introduce these stages as a formal project. They can become part of everyday conversations and decisions.
Why clarity matters in neuro-inclusive management
One of the central principles of The NEW E.R.A. Method® is that unnecessary ambiguity creates unnecessary cognitive effort.
Consider this instruction:
“Can you get that report sorted as soon as possible?”
What does ‘sorted’ mean? Reviewed? Updated? Approved? Distributed? And how soon is ‘as soon as possible’?
Different people may interpret those words differently. Yet everyone involved may assume the meaning is obvious.
By agreeing the required outcome, responsibility and timescale, a manager can remove several sources of uncertainty.
That doesn’t mean micromanaging people. In fact, clear expectations can create greater autonomy. When people understand what’s needed and what success looks like, they have more freedom to decide how best to achieve it.
If we can increase clarity, we can often reduce overwhelm.
Small changes can make a meaningful difference
A team doesn’t have to be struggling for there to be opportunities for improvement. Strong performance can sometimes conceal the considerable effort people are making to compensate for unclear expectations, inefficient processes or working practices that don’t suit them. When we focus solely on outcomes, we risk overlooking the human cost of achieving them. Exploring how work gets done, not just whether it gets done, can reveal opportunities to make good performance more sustainable.
Meaningful workplace change doesn’t always require a major initiative. Consider the combined effect of a few practical improvements.
Meetings become more purposeful. Instructions are clearer. Information is easier to find. Responsibilities are understood. People feel more comfortable asking questions. As a result, employees may spend less energy navigating unnecessary obstacles and more energy doing the work they’re there to do.
Of course, managers cannot resolve every workplace barrier. Some changes require organisational support, investment or changes to policy.
Organisations also retain their responsibilities, including their legal obligations around reasonable adjustments. Nevertheless, the limits of a manager’s authority don’t make improvements within their control any less valuable.
Could one manager inspire wider change?
When one manager improves the way their team operates, others may begin to notice.
Colleagues might ask how an improvement was achieved. Other managers may recognise similar problems in their own teams. Practical examples can demonstrate that different approaches are possible.
This doesn’t guarantee organisation-wide transformation. However, it creates opportunities to share learning and build on what works. And perhaps that’s a more accessible starting point than trying to change everything at once.
Where can you begin?
If you’re a manager or team leader, you don’t need to start with a comprehensive review.
Instead, try asking one question:
“What is making work unnecessarily difficult for the people in my team?”
Then listen to the answers.
You might discover that a relatively simple improvement could make a significant difference.
Explore what’s happening. Refine what could work better. Adjust to accommodate individual needs.
Because you don’t have to change the whole organisation to change someone’s experience of working in it.
Want to explore a practical approach to neuro-inclusive management?
My book, The NEW E.R.A. Method®: The Practical Framework for Building a Neuro-Inclusive Workplace, explains how practical changes to the way organisations and teams operate can reduce unnecessary barriers, improve clarity and help people play to their strengths.
Find out more at shazmarshall.com.
