Abstract:

Despite increased efforts by organisations to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), neuro-inclusion remains fragile, inconsistent, and unevenly practised in daily work. Many organisations publicly support neurodiversity, yet neurodivergent employees often face rigid norms, stigma, and pressures to conform to neurotypical standards of communication, productivity, and professionalism. This paper emphasises the gap between policy and practice, focusing on middle managers as crucial but underexamined agents of neuro-inclusion. Positioned between senior leaders and staff, they interpret and implement policies, influence team culture, and exercise discretion over performance and flexibility, which affects disclosure, accommodations, psychological safety, and belonging. Drawing on a combined critical psychological framework, the paper views neuro-inclusion as a dynamic, contestable organisational process rather than a fixed achievement or an individual adjustment. It integrates Critical Theory, Critical Disability Theory, and Critical Management Theory to demonstrate how ableist norms, power dynamics, and efficiency-driven management can subtly uphold exclusion, even in organisations that outwardly appear inclusive. Self-Determination Theory explains how everyday managerial behaviours shape neurodivergent employees’ feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness, which, in turn, influence their well-being, motivation, and authenticity at work. Building on these insights, the paper proposes a multi-level conceptual framework linking societal norms, organisational structures, relational practices, and psychological experiences, highlighting middle managers as key intermediaries across the social and organisational levels where inclusion is enacted. It also considers the constraints they face, such as performance systems, hierarchical structures, and societal expectations, framing neuro-inclusion as an ongoing negotiation rather than an assured outcome. The study employs a qualitative multiple-case approach across six organisations committed to disability or neurodiversity inclusion, using semi-structured interviews with leaders, managers, and neurodivergent employees, supported by document analysis and limited workplace observations. Cross-case thematic analysis explores how neuro-inclusion is promoted, challenged, or subtly hindered across structural, relational, and psychological domains. Overall, the paper offers a critically informed, meso-level perspective on neuro-inclusion that shifts focus from formal policies to everyday managerial practices, emphasising their central role in making inclusion a lived reality rather than a symbolic gesture.

Please choose your submission type: Developmental Paper

Primary Track: Organisational Transformation, Change and Development

Keywords: Diversity;Qualitative

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Ms. Sophie Turner