Blog

NEURODIVERSITY

• Beata Cnudde
• 7th February 2022

I have been working as a coach and neurofeedback trainer for many years now. The achievements in the neuroscience fascinate me because they directly influence the coaching process and its results. And it was my work that allowed me to meet the neuro-diverse persons. This definitely enriched my experience.

And you, have you ever wondered how connections in your brain are programmed? Like most of persons, you probably belong to the “neurotypical” group. But have you ever heard of the “neuro-diverse” people?

The development of neuroscience, fortunately for the latter group of people, has confirmed that persons diagnosed as autistic, with Asperger’s syndrome, dyslexia, hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder (ADHD), etc., have atypical neuronal connections in the brain. This is a great achievement of science, because in the past, which only few would believe it now, these people were often excluded from society as mentally sick. It is also a huge achievement of all those who, seeing the intellectual development and potential of people affected by neuro-difference, struggled to acknowledge it as a natural neuro-biological variety.

According to the latest theories, neurological differences such as autism, dyslexia and ADHD are not nature or upbringing errors, or the effects of the modern polluted world, but the effects of natural variations in the human genome. There is already biological diversity, cultural diversity (wiring brain accordingly), and we now know that there is also a genetically conditioned neuronal diversity.

I really like the two comparisons: we do not claim that a flower calla lily suffers from “petal deficit disorder” because it has only one petal, nor do we diagnose people with brown skin as suffering from “pigmentation dysfunction.” Similarly, we should not consider people who have different ways of thinking, communicating and learning as suffering from pathological mental disorder.

The name “neuro-diversity” was introduced by Judy Singer, an Australian scientist, in her scientific work published in 1999. This term means a range of differences in individual cognitive functions of the brain and behavioral traits, considered as part of the normal variability in the human population.

She, her mother and daughter all suffered from a form of autism. She knew perfectly well that it wasn’t a disease. At the same time, she saw that people with different minds were discriminated in the same way as women and homosexuals before they created their own social movement. She recognized that neurologically diverse people also needed a strong voice in defense of their rights.

Singer collaborated with Harvey Blum, an American journalist in the New York Times, who in 1997 described the basics of neurological diversity, using the term “neurological pluralism.” He wrote that neurological diversity can be as important to the human race as biodiversity is to life in general. “Who can tell which wiring will be the best at the moment?” He said, for example, cybernetics and computer companies might need the skills that autistic people offer.

Both of them would care for people with an autism spectrum or other form of neurodiversity, not only to be acknowledged by society, but also to help them find a job suitable for their talents and abilities.

“Business is built around speed and competition and that makes it very hard for those on the autistic spectrum to get jobs,”said Singer.

Fortunately, big business is increasingly opening to understanding the benefits of neuronal and cognitive differences. They are increasingly looking for employees with specific talents. This is, among others, thanks to businessmen and employers who themselves are diagnosed of neuro diversity, e.g. Richard Branson and Charles Schwab (both with dyslexia).

According to Nancy Doyle, a work psychologist writing for Forbes, companies can create a work culture that encourages to include such persons into the working community to make the most of their professional opportunities. Such integration will really work when people realize that by excluding a significant percentage of people from their employees, they lose important talents and potential.

One should strive to make neurological diversity being understood in the same way as diversity of personality. Thanks to this, the neuro-diverse persons will be able to be employed as specialists using their typical talents and opportunities.

The neurodiversity relates to the following disorders:

1. Stuttering

2. Color blindness

3. Dyscalculia

4. Dysgraphia

5. Dyslexia

6. Dysorthography

7. Dysphasia

8. Dyspraxia (DCD)

9. The High Intellectual Potential (HIP)

10. Asperger’s syndrome

11. Dysexecutive syndrome

12. Attention deficit disorder with/without hyperactivity (ADD / H)

13. Tourette syndrom

Beata Cnudde

Managing change in the financial sector

• Beata Cnudde
• 6th February 2022

Managing change in the financial sector especially in times of crisis is never easy.

I had been working in the financial sector for many years, experiencing several different roles, until I had the pleasure of becoming a coach. During my career, I experienced coaching from both the perspective of a manager then as a coach myself. What did I learn during those years?

Businesses often neglect the human aspects of change, and as a result may encounter resistance from employees.

It seems that financial institutions make mistakes in two respects:

1. There is a lack of coaching when it’s really needed.

2. They focus on business rather than humans.

A striking example is the past crises faced by the financial sector, the consequences of which spread to the global economy. This difficult period was characterised by an increased number of acquisitions, with the expectation that people would deliver more, better and faster. This need for rapid and dramatic change had not been experienced before and it meant that the financial sector was nearing, or had even passed, the point of change saturation. Everyone felt the impact regardless of whether they were in managerial or specialist positions. At that time I worked in one of the European banks as a middle manager and I experienced the prevailing pressure, intensity and bitterness of those years. Most of the changes financial companies faced were imposed and unwanted, and as a result caused uncertainty about the future among all their employees.

MANAGING CHANGE

It was quite remarkable that many financial companies had no efficient change management plans while implementing the changes. Milestones and short deadlines were imposed without taking into account the readiness of employees. These plans lacked thought about the human aspect. For example, they did not assess potential risks, impact on motivation and level of resistance when imposing a sense of urgency and pressure on the business side. Normally line/middle managers obtain support from the HR department and receive specialised training to provide them with skills in sensitive areas like cultural differences, value systems or motivation strategies. But at that time of crisis many institutions cut expenditure on soft skills training, and coaching was also suspended just when it was really important and needed. Understanding the psychological aspects of a change implementation is crucial for the success of all businesses. Coaching would help top managers understand the necessity of more open and effective communication with employees in the organisation and prepare them for managing any resistance. All too often when an executive encounters resistance to change they ‘explain’ it by quoting the cliché that ‘people resist change’ and never look further.

INDIVIDUAL MOTIVATION

The factors that influence resistance are all aspects of a employee’s life and their internal value system. What motivates a person is unique to that person. When introducing change management needs to be aware that the top reasons for resisting change, for both employees and managers, are not related to whether the strategy or chosen solutions are correct. They relate to how an individual employee or manager understands and experiences the change process. Effective change management can shift from preventing and managing resistance, to engaging employees and building acceptance and enthusiasm for the change. The organisational value systems also impact on the way change happens. If people believe in the overall purpose, they will be happy to change their individual behaviour to serve that purpose. However, when people find that their beliefs are inconsistent with the required actions, cognitive dissonance and distressing mental states are caused. Moreover, managers must be prepared to deal with potential or real conflicts arising from cultural differences as well as the ethical dimension. This is where coaching can help managers. ‘They should be equipped with a moral compass ensuring they act in the interests of the many rather than the few’ (Todnem and others, 2012).

INTEGRATING THE BUSINESS AND HUMAN SIDES

During the recent financial crises it was not only financial institutions that tended to focus on the business side, but coaches too. There is a mistaken belief in my opinion, shared by many coaches I met, that coaching, especially in financial institutions, should be limited to the three lowest neurological levels: ‘environment – where’, ‘behaviour – what’ and ‘capabilities – how’ with an objective to assist the manager in the realisation of the specific tasks and achievement of certain results. I believe that in some situations, during the coaching process such an approach makes sense and brings good results. However, not addressing the other logical levels referring to values, identity and purpose is, I believe, a serious lapse. Within the financial world I have heard the opinion that simple is better, and working on the higher logical levels is unnecessary as it may complicate the employee’s situation at work. He or she may realise that they would be better off elsewhere and might walk away from their job. I find this reasoning shortsighted because all managers need to find harmony between both being ‘professional and human’ at work. They are unlikely to leave a job only because a coach helped them to discover their bigger capabilities. They are more likely to feel better and hence more motivated. A coach is there to help a manager eventually to realise what is appropriate for him or her.

Fortunately, the situation has been improving, and there is more and more understanding that it is not beneficial to neglect the human aspects of work and concentrate only on the business side since in the end this can backfire on performance. Putting both sides together – business and human – can change the working culture and would probably lead to more engaged and productive employees who are enthusiastic about the company’s purpose, committed to their work, and who are more likely to stay in the long term.

Beata Cnudde