Teal-inspired practices for neurodivergent inclusion at work: stakeholder viewpoints
Sima Alipour, Abbas Ali Rastegar, Shahryar SorooshianPurpose
Research on neurodiversity at work has focused mainly on accommodation within conventional organizations. This brief report explores how key stakeholders interpret Teal-inspired practices as a context for neurodivergent inclusion, with particular attention to ADHD-related experiences.
Design/methodology/approach
Using Q-methodology, 20 participants (10 HR managers and 10 neurodivergent managers with formal ADHD diagnoses) sorted 39 statements about Teal-inspired organizing. The Q-set was developed from literature, preliminary interviews and practitioner discourse. Varimax-rotated factor analysis identified shared viewpoints, which were interpreted alongside short post-sort interviews.
Findings
Four viewpoints emerged: wholeness-oriented inclusion, self-management and cognitive flexibility, purpose and relational trust, and strategic promise constrained by structural resistance. Across viewpoints, participants did not view Teal-inspired practices as a universal solution. They pointed instead to specific psychological conditions, among them less pressure to mask, autonomy over work rhythms, and coordination built on trust. They also warned that hierarchy-free ideals are hard to enact in traditional settings.
Originality/value
This is among the first empirical Q-method analyses of neurodiversity in Teal-inspired organizing. Focusing on shared perceptions rather than tested outcomes keeps its contribution to managerial psychology concise and appropriately bounded.