Abstract

Abstract
Nurturing Neurodiversity in the Workplace: An Integrative Literature Review

Research problem: Despite increasing recognition of neurodiversity as a critical component of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) efforts, neurodivergent individuals still face barriers to employment and long-term career opportunities, often due to negative stereotypes, bias, and discrimination. This study attempts to provide a baseline of knowledge about this issue by analyzing trade and professional literature, a vital source of knowledge for Human Resource Development (HRD) professionals, to identify key strategies for supporting neurodiversity in the workplace.
Research question: What are the most prominently discussed HRD strategies—training and development, career development, organizational development—within professional publications in the past 10 years to support neurodivergent individuals in the workplace?
Literature review: Neurodiversity emerged in the wake of growing stakeholder activism and a perceived competitive advantage for organizations seeking innovation and productivity gains. Because it addresses a group with unique characteristics and needs within the workplace, neurodiversity is encompassed within the broader discussion on diversity within HRD. While there is ample literature exploring the conceptualization on neurodiversity and its potential value to organizations, gaps in peer-reviewed research on HRD and neurodiversity include the lack of applied research on strategies aimed at enhancing neurodiversity in the workplace.
Methodology: An integrative literature review was employed. Because so few peer-reviewed research exists on the subject of HRD for neurodiverse individuals in the workplace, articles from trade publications were systematically sought, categorized and analyzed. A sample of 282 articles was collected using replicable search parameters, with 176 articles retained for further analysis. The articles were then systematically reviewed by identifying first, particular characteristics of each article and then to find patterns among these characteristics concerning neuroinclusive strategies within training and development, career development, and organizational development.
Results and Conclusion: The findings revealed a total of 439 strategies spread across the three dimensions of HRD. The study found that the majority of strategies identified pertained to organizational development (205 strategies), followed closely by training and development (189 strategies), while career development strategies were the least represented in the literature (45 strategies). In light of the study, the dominant themes of each dimension of HRD are diversity training (training and development), career coaching and support (career development), and culture change (organizational development). The findings highlight the interconnected nature of HRD strategies used to foster a more neuroinclusive workplace. To ensure feasibility, this study was limited to trade and professional publications from the past decade written in English that are retrieved from the ABI/Inform (ProQuest) database, and as such, the findings may be influenced by the evolving nature of the topic, the variability in the literary genre, and validation through empirical studies. Future research can examine the effects of neurodiversity awareness or acceptability using non-training interventions, the relevance or effectiveness of tools powered by artificial intelligence to support neurodivergent individuals’ career progression, and explore how macro-systemic strategies to better foster neurodiversity in the workplace.