From Accommodation to Innovation: How Neurodiversity Reveals Better Ways of Working
Why workplace adjustments should be treated as innovation pilots — not compliance tasks.
Reading Time: 4 minutes
Author – John Harrington
The workplace is full of hidden inefficiencies — and neurodivergent employees often discover them first.
Most organisations still treat “reasonable adjustments” as a private, HR-led, reactive process. Someone discloses a condition. HR reviews it. The company decides what they’re “obliged” to provide.
It’s a model based on compliance, not capability. And because adjustments are treated as a cost, they rarely generate broader learning.
But this isn’t only an outdated view, it’s a missed opportunity.
What if adjustments weren’t remedial fixes for a minority, but micro-experiments in smarter work design?
What if every accommodation request were understood as data — an insight into where your systems are too rigid, too noisy, too unclear, or too inefficient for optimal human performance?
Because that’s exactly what they are.
“An adjustment is a prototype for smarter systems.” Reframe it, and suddenly, neurodiversity becomes an innovation engine.
Adjustments as Innovation Inputs: A Strategic Shift
The Traditional View (Compliance Oriented)
- Adjustments = cost
- Case-by-case, private
- Owned by HR
- Goal: fairness + legal protection
- No organisational learning
The Contrarian View (Innovation Oriented)
- Adjustments = insight
- Each one exposes systemic friction
- Goal: functional optimisation
- Cross-functional (HR + Ops + IT)
- Learning is captured, generalised, shared
This shift is similar to how user-centred design transformed product development.
Complaints weren’t irritations — they were design intelligence.
In the same way:
“Every accommodation request is an insight into where your systems are too rigid for optimal human performance.”
How to Operationalise This Thinking: The Practical Framework
1. Build an “Adjustments Feedback Loop”
Capture
What was the request and why?
(e.g., “written meeting summaries due to working memory challenges.”)
Evaluate
Did it improve this person’s performance?
Did it improve the team’s workflow or accuracy?
Generalise
Would this improvement help everyone?
If yes → make it a default practice.
Example
A neurodivergent employee asks for written meeting notes.
The team discovers fewer dropped tasks, fewer misunderstandings, and faster follow-through.
The practice becomes the new standard.
The adjustment wasn’t a fix.
It was a prototype for better communication.
2. Run “Inclusive Design Sprints”
- Put neurodivergent employees in the co-design seat
- Test new workflow layouts, templates, or communication structures
- Identify where complexity, ambiguity or noise creeps into processes
- Produce measurable improvements
(e.g., shorter meetings, fewer errors, faster onboarding)
Real-World Example
EY’s Neurodiversity Centres of Excellence use autistic and ADHD analysts to redesign automation workflows — improving data accuracy by 20–30%.
This is inclusion as R&D.
3. Integrate Adjustments into Continuous Improvement Systems
Each adjustment becomes an improvement ticket, not an HR file.
Example
An ADHD employee finds the constant interruptions in a call centre overwhelming.
When schedules are redesigned to reduce task-switching for them, productivity increases across the entire team.
The system was flawed — the neurodivergent experience exposed it.
Evidence: Where “Accommodation → Innovation” Has Already Happened
Microsoft
SAP
Google (Project Aristotle)
BBC (UK)
Neuroinclusive design consistently produces generalised performance gains.
The ROI: Why This Approach Outperforms Traditional Inclusion
| Benefit Stream | How It Emerges | Metric Examples |
| Process efficiency | Adjustments expose workflow friction | Time saved per meeting/task |
| Innovation | ND-led design informs new systems | % of improvements from employee feedback |
| Retention | Employees feel valued, not marginalised | Lower attrition of skilled ND talent |
| Engagement | System flexibility → better morale | “I can work effectively” survey item |
| Brand value | Inclusion framed as innovation | Glassdoor ratings; employer brand metrics |
For your Refocus ROI Calculator, you can add a column for Innovation Value from Adjustments — measuring how many individual adjustments become team-wide or organisation-wide improvements.
What Adjustment-to-Innovation Looks Like in Practice
| Adjustment | Original Purpose | Broader Innovation |
| Noise-reducing headphones | Reduce sensory overload | Quiet-hour policy → +15% productivity |
| Written meeting notes | Memory support | Fewer missed deadlines across team |
| Flexible hours | ADHD time management | Results-first workflows; lower presenteeism |
| Softer lighting | Reduce migraines | Informs new office lighting design |
| Clear task lists / dashboards | Executive function support | Standard project templates |
| Remote interviews | Accessibility | Better recruitment reach & experience |
This is innovation through lived experience, not corporate theory.
Key Takeaways
- Adjustments aren’t costs — they’re design intelligence.
- Neurodivergent employees encounter friction first and reveal how to fix it.
- Inclusive design produces measurable gains in accuracy, speed, retention, and engagement.
- Organisations can build a repeatable system to turn adjustments into innovation.
- When framed this way, inclusion becomes a competitive advantage, not an obligation.
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