Fostering an Inclusive and Sustainable Career Ecosystem: Empowering Neurodivergent Individuals and Employees to Thrive

Closes:
Journal
Career Development International
Guest editor(s)
William E. Donald, Elizabeth J. Cook, Nimmi P. Mohandas,

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Introduction

The term neurodivergent refers to individuals who exhibit differences in the way their brain works (Singer, 1999), encompassing conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dyslexia, and Social Anxiety, among many others. The concept of neurodivergence is situated within the neurodiversity paradigm, which acknowledges the “natural and valuable manifestation of human genetic diversity” (Chapman, 2020, p. 219) variations in neurological functioning within the human population, framing such variances as unique strengths (Bruyere and Colella, 2022; Wiklund et al., 2018). With approximately 15-20% of the global population identifying as neurodivergent (Doyle, 2020), and their higher unemployment rates compared to neurotypical individuals (Hennekam and Follmer, 2024), there is an urgent need to create and inclusive and sustainable career ecosystem that supports neurodivergent individuals to thrive. 

A sustainable career ecosystem (Donald, 2023; Donald, Van der Heijden and Baruch, 2024) integrates the principles of sustainable career theory (De Vos et al., 2020; Donald, Van der Heijden and Manville, 2024; Van der Heijden and De Vos, 2015), with those of career ecosystem theory (Baruch, 2015; Baruch and Rousseau, 2019). Despite recognising employees as actors within a sustainable career ecosystem, neurodivergent individuals remain a largely overlooked subgroup. While Donald (2024) addresses the exclusionary aspects of the career ecosystem as a threat to the career sustainability of disabled scholars, neurodivergent individuals have yet to receive significant attention within this framework and continue to receive limited support to thrive. Furthermore, the impact of Automation and AI on work and careers must be considered (Baruch and Sullivan, 2022), recognising these technologies as significant actors within a sustainable career ecosystem (Donald Van der Heijden and Baruch, 2024). 

In response, this special issue explores the transformative contributions neurodivergent individuals bring to organisations, emphasising the value of diversity in fostering inclusion, innovation, creativity, and sustainability. As a neurodivergent Editorial team, we envision inclusive work cultures and accessible environments where neurodivergent individuals feel safe, accepted, respected, and valued. We aim to celebrate neurodiversity as a strength, advocating strategies to build an inclusive and sustainable career ecosystem in which all employees, including those who are neurodivergent, can thrive. 

We encourage submissions from researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with lived neurodivergent experiences, recognising that their unique perspectives are essential to advancing this important field. We also strongly encourage submissions from across the world covering various sectors, career stages, and types of employment (including self-employment, unemployment, underemployment, and overemployment). 

We seek a variety of contributions, including empirical studies, theoretical papers, case studies, and creative methodologies – such as co-creative/co-design research, autoethnography, and arts-based approaches. We also welcome shorter 3,000 word practitioner insights articles that showcase examples of best practice for enabling neurodivergent individuals to flourish – please see Harrison and Donald (2024) for more information. 

Our aim is for this Special Issue to offer a safe and inclusive space for these critical and timely discussions, fostering practical solutions that enhance inclusivity for neurodivergent individuals and support a sustainable career ecosystem for all. By providing a platform for those with lived experience of neurodivergence, we hope to contribute to the creation of a more inclusive and sustainable career ecosystem. 

For further information, please look out for a short webinar that Dr Elizabeth J. Cook will run in early 2025 for interested authors. For general enquiries, please contact Associate Professor William E. Donald at [email protected]

List of Topic Areas

The special issue seeks to address five key questions and associated sub-questions: 

  1. What strengths and unique perspectives do neurodivergent individuals contribute to organisations? 1a. What diverse talents and innovative approaches do neurodivergent individuals bring to workplaces? 1b. How can these strengths and perspectives be encouraged and leveraged for the benefit of all within an inclusive and sustainable career ecosystem? 
  2. How can organisations create environments where neurodivergent individuals can thrive? 2a. What organisational policies and practices support the well-being and career development of neurodivergent employees? 2b. How can these policies and practices foster neuro-affirming inclusive workplace cultures that address intersectionality and the varied needs of a diverse workforce?
  3. What roles do key actors play in supporting the career sustainability of neurodivergent individuals within a career ecosystem? 3a. What roles do policymakers, national governments, educators, and other partners play in creating or inhibiting an inclusive and sustainable career ecosystem? 3b. How do these actors collaborate to promote policies and practices that enhance the career sustainability of neurodivergent individuals?
  4. What are the implications of Automation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) advancements for the career sustainability of neurodivergent individuals within an inclusive and sustainable career ecosystem? 4a. What opportunities and challenges do automation and AI present to neurodivergent individuals, given the rapid evolution of technology? 4b. How can these technological changes be harnessed to create more inclusive work cultures and environments?
  5. How do contextual and temporal factors influence the experiences of neurodivergent individuals within an inclusive and sustainable career ecosystem? 5a. How do factors such as location, industry sector, and organisational changes over time, specifically impact the career sustainability of neurodivergent individuals? 5b. In what ways do these contextual and temporal dimensions affect the overall well-being and career progression of neurodivergent individuals?

Submissions Information

Submissions are made using ScholarOne Manuscripts. Registration and access are available here.
Author guidelines must be strictly followed. Please see here.
Authors should select (from the drop-down menu) the special issue title at the appropriate step in the submission process, i.e. in response to ““Please select the issue you are submitting to”. 
Submitted articles must not have been previously published, nor should they be under consideration for publication anywhere else, while under review for this journal.

Key Deadlines

Opening date for manuscripts submissions: 16/09/2024 
Closing date for manuscripts submission: 31/03/2025

References

  • Baruch, Y. (2015), “Organizational and labor market as career eco-system”, in De Vos, A. and Van der Heijden, B.I.J.M. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Sustainable Careers, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, pp. 164-180. 
  • Baruch, Y. and Rousseau, D.M. (2019), “Integrating psychological contracts and ecosystems in career studies and management”, Academy of Management Annals, Vol. 13, No. 1, pp. 84-111. doi:10.5465/annals.2016.0103. 
  • Baruch, Y. and Sullivan, S. (2022), “The why, what and how of career research: A review and recommendations for future study”, Career Development International, Vol. 27 No. 1, pp. 135-159. doi:10.1108/CDI-10-2021-0251. 
  • Bruyère, S.M. and Colella, A. (2022), “Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Interests, Issues, and Opportunities”, in Bruyère, S.M. and Colella, A. (Eds.), Neurodiversity in the Workplace: Interests, Issues, and Opportunities, Taylor and Francis, Oxfordshire, pp. 1-15. 
  • Chapman, R. (2020), “Defining neurodiversity for research and practice”, in Rosqvist, A., Chown, N. and Stenning, A. (Eds.), Neurodiversity Studies, Routledge, London, pp. 218-220. 
  • De Vos, A., Van der Heijden, B.I.J.M. and Akkermans, J. (2020), “Sustainable careers: Towards a conceptual model”, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 117, 103196. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2018.06.011. 
  • Donald, W.E. (Ed.) (2023), Handbook of Research on Sustainable Career Ecosystems for University Students and Graduates, IGI Global, Pennsylvania.
  • Donald, W.E. (2024), “Viewing academia as an exclusionary career ecosystem: Threats to the career sustainability of disabled scholars”, Disability & Society, Vol. (ahead-of-print) No. (ahead-of-print). doi:10.1080/09687599.2024.2360432. 
  • Donald, W.E., Van der Heijden, B.I.J.M. and Manville, G. (2024), “(Re)framing sustainable careers: Toward a conceptual model and future research agenda”, Career Development International, Vol. 29 No. 5, pp. 513-526. doi:10.1108/CDI-02-2024-0073. 
  • Donald, W.E., Van der Heijden, B.I.J.M. and Baruch, Y. (2024), “Introducing a sustainable career ecosystem: Theoretical perspectives, conceptualization, and future research agenda”, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Vol. 151, 103989. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2024.103989.
  • Doyle, N. (2020), “Neurodiversity at work: a biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults”, British Medical Bulletin, Vol. 135 No. 1, pp. 108-125. doi:10.1093/bmb/ldaa021.
  • Doyle, N. (2020), “Neurodiversity at work: a biopsychosocial model and the impact on working adults”, British Medical Bulletin, Vol. 135 No. 1, pp. 108-125. doi:10.1093/bmb/ldaa021. 
  • Harrison, J. A. and Donald, W. E. (2024), “Editorial: Introducing the new practitioner insights section at Career Development International”, Career Development International, Vol. 29 No. 4, pp. 413-414. doi:10.1108/CDI-08-2024-360
  • Hennekam, S. and Follmer, K. (2024), “Neurodiversity and HRM: a practice-based review and research agenda”, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, Vol. (ahead-of-print) No. (ahead-of-print). doi:10.1108/EDI-12-2023-0424.
  • Singer, J. (1999), “Why can’t you be normal for once in your life? From a ‘problem with no name’ to the emergence of a new category of difference”, in Corker, M. and French, S. (Eds.), Disability Discourse, Open UP, Buckingham, pp. 59-67. 
  • Van der Heijden, B.I.J.M. and De Vos, A. (2015), “Sustainable careers: Introductory chapter”, in De Vos, A. and Van der Heijden, B.I.J.M. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Sustainable Careers, Edward Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, pp. 1-19. 
  • Wiklund, J., Hatak, I., Patzelt, H., & Shepherd, D.A. (2018), “Mental disorders in the entrepreneurship context: When being different can be an advantage”, Academy of Management Perspectives, Vol. 32 No. 2, pp. 192-206. doi:10.5465/amp.2017.0063.