Diversity policies have historically been built around issues related to gender equality and disability. Over the years, other components have been added and are now the subject of reflection and dedicated actions: this is the case of origins, generations and physical appearance. In fact, we think little of another form of diversity: that of our brains. Made more and more accessible thanks to the development of neuroscience, this cognitive diversity is still little understood. The EVE program decided to take the concept to the next level.

What is cognitive diversity?

Cognitive diversity, or neurodiversity, first appeared in 1998 by journalist Harvey Blume in an article in The Atlantic. It is the counterpart of another terminology that has emerged in the milieu of high-functioning autistics to designate non-autistic individuals known as " neurotypical ".

Harvey Blume summarizes two theories of mind in this way: that of the neurotypicals (" everyone thinks like me, unless proven otherwise ") and that of the autistics (" everyone thinks differently from me, unless proven otherwise "). Indeed, " until recently ," Blume tells us, " neurotypicals had the privilege of believing that their wiring was the standard of the human brain." His idea is to make it clear that this conception, which seems to be obvious, is bound to be seriously questioned.

A diversity of neurodiversities

Initially thought of for autistic people, the notion of neurodiversity has gradually extended to other forms of neurological realities that have a direct impact on cognition (all mental learning processes, memory, interpretation, etc.) of individuals.

Indeed, people with " DYS " (with forms of dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, etc.), people with attention deficit disorders, high intellectual potentials and autistic people all have in common that they have functionally and structurally different brain structures of the neurotypical norm. In other words, their brains show neurological differences that are physically observable on imaging and process information " differently " than those of most individuals.

Neurodiverse implications

" Neurodiverse " people have a different cognitive approach than the one traditionally considered. The impact can be significant in terms of perceptions, memory, thoughts, emotions, learning abilities, social or organizational skills, the way of solving problems or making decisions (among others)...

Neither better nor worse, only different, neurodiverse people are not disabled and they do not need to be " fixed " either. " A cat is not the deficient version of a dog ," says Julie Dachez, who has Asperger's syndrome, " it's just a cat ."  Atypical cognitions thus present a set of strengths and weaknesses compared to typical cognitions: for example, the ability to memorize may be below average, but it can be " compensated " by increased creativity.

However, due to a lack of knowledge and normative pressure, educational and professional environments struggle to identify and evaluate the benefits of this neurodiversity... And the lack of skills, quickly pinpointed, tends to disqualify these profiles. The result is a prodigious loss of income. It has been proven : neurodiversity (like gender diversity) significantly increases performance thanks to the contribution of new perspectives, a source of creativity and value creation for the company.

Neurodiversity as a competitive advantage for organizations

Our companies would therefore benefit from learning to better recognize, value and support these so-called atypical profiles by offering them appropriate positions and work organization. A growing number of them, such as Microsoft, Ford, SAP and HPE, have initiated reforms to their HR processes in this direction :

• By proposing new evaluation methods: such as Specialisterne which has created half-day gatherings in which neurodiverse candidates can demonstrate their abilities in more informal interactions with managers of partner organizations and work on project simulations individually or in groups ;

• By adapting its integration processes: such as SAP, which has set up a " soft skills " module for candidates who have never worked in a professional environment so that they are more comfortable with the associated standards;

• By setting up a support ecosystem: such as HPE, which positions neurodiverse people in teams of 15 people where they work with neurotypical people in a 4 :1 ratio while two managers and a consultant accompany on issues related to neurodiversity. Coaching programs can also be offered.

Although these initiatives are still in their infancy, the benefits observed are already significant and multifaceted : a better capacity for innovation, an improvement in quality, productivity gains, a growing commitment of employees... All employees ! Since special attention is paid to individual sensitivity and needs, these programs " force you to get to know the person better to learn how to manage them better," explains Silvio Bessa, senior vice president of digital business services at HPE. " It has made me a better manager, without a doubt ."

All neurodiverse ?

Each individual has unique fingerprints. What if the same were true for our brains ? We all have a unique brain anatomy: this is the finding of a study led in 2018 by neuropsychologist and cognitive neuroscientist Lutz Jäncke from the University of Zurich.

To validate this hypothesis, the research team observed nearly 200 brains by MRI three times over a two-year period. 450 anatomical features were observed at each MRI, ranging from brain volume to cortex thickness to gray and white matter volumes. Conclusion : each brain has its own individual combination of specific brain anatomical characteristics. This brain uniqueness is explained by a multiplicity of genetic and non-genetic influences, such as individual experiences and life circumstances.

We think " differently " therefore we are " different ", to paraphrase a Descartes revisited by neuroscience ! So many individualities, ways of perceiving reality, of interpreting the world and the movements of the other... In this respect, optical illusions are a good illustration of the many ways of seeing and interpreting reality.

Duck or rabbit ?

If our own brains can be biased in a thousand and one ways, the meeting of two different brains can, without a doubt, generate a whole variety of interpretations, at the risk of multiplying misunderstandings ! So how do we understand and get along with each other, especially in the context of our professional environments?

Adelson's chessboard: the key of the A square is the same as that of the B square!

Two-speed brains

We all have different cognitions, but we all share a two-speed brain. Let us explain. The Nobel Prize in Economics Daniel Kahneman has highlighted the coexistence of two ways of thinking, or systems of mind : system 1 and system 2. The former " works automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and no sense of deliberate control," while the latter " pays attention to the constraining mental activities that require it, including complex calculations."

A tad lazy, our brains are fond of simplicity... Even if it means making oversimplifying and fatally erroneous shortcuts, such as generalizations that lead to the production of stereotypes. In the same vein, we tend to think that the Other thinks like us.

Except that since this is not the case, we sometimes find a delta between our intentions and their impact on our interlocutor. This differential is the source of many conflicts : " You are beautiful darling today..." " What do you mean, does that mean that on other days I'm ugly ?!" ". We can thus think that we are doing the right thing, that we intend to bring well-being to others and finally that we can have an impact that is inversely proportional to our good will. Ouch !

Learning to manage mental modes...

Interacting means taking into account the other's system of thought in order to integrate it into his or her behavior. Our cognitive universe therefore benefits from soliciting its emotional counterpart: the two logics cooperate wonderfully in that reading the emotions of the other, thanks to empathy, is a first lever for understanding the realm of his thought.

The other lever, no less essential, is to transcend system 1 (the one that generates conflicts and misunderstandings related to the different ways of approaching the world) to reach system 2 (by instilling the objectivity that everyone agrees).

… To better manage the diversity of our brains

As Jacques Fradin, physicist, doctor and cognitive and behavioural therapist, explains, this transition concretely implies opposing rigidity with a capacity for adaptation, with the excesses of simplification with the richness of nuance, with the grasping of certainty taking a step back, and the logic of empiricism with reflective thinking that is much more logical... In short, it is a question of learning to defuse threats related to decision-making speed (fatigue, emotions, mental load and other cognitive pollutants).

Demonstration in situation: your colleague gives you the clear feeling that he or she does not understand anything that you are trying to explain to him/her. Your first impression leads you to suspect a form of bad faith on the part of your interlocutor: " it suits him well..."  ". From System 1 to System 2, you learn to defuse the trial of intent to conclude that in reality, unless proven otherwise, you don't know.

Strengthen your EmpaCognitive thie requires humility and some necessary knots in the brain. These efforts should nevertheless quickly pay for themselves: once the complexity of reality has been overcome, it is all the richness of peaceful relationships that is within the reach of our diverse neurons