Jeffrey Saunders is an executive advisor, strategic foresight expert, and futurist; he is CEO of Nordic Foresight. He has written extensively on the future of work and its implications on organizations, employees and workplaces. He is the Workplace Evolutionaries Denmark HUB co-leader. Previously, he was director and head of the strategy & innovation team at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS), chief consultant at SIGNAL Architects and a national security consultant in the U.S.
Why do you think there is a growing awareness about neurodiversity among organizations? Neurodiverse individuals often possess higher-than-average abilities in such areas as pattern recognition, memory and mathematics. These skills are in high demand as more and more sectors of the economy become data driven. Managers in many organizations have become cognizant of the need to harness the creative and innovative capabilities of all their employees. To do so, they need to be more sensitive to individual needs—neurodiverse or not.
Why are companies increasingly seeking to create diverse, inclusive environments? The current wave of automation is eliminating routine knowledge work and enabling the emergence of the innovation society. In this society, labor is liberated to work with creativity, innovation, research and development, along with similar tasks that cannot yet easily be automated. These technologies and the types of work they enable are putting pressure on established organizations, leading to a focus on creating diverse, inclusive environments. First, companies are permitting the emergence of alternative structures that are based on dynamic flows of power, trust, information and authority among coordinators and staff. Enabled by interconnected technologies and people, they can outcompete their more hierarchical rivals. To drive bottom-up innovation, these new organizations need to motivate and increase engagement and well-being among employees. Second, most employees now can work from anywhere at any time. The coming 5G revolution will only accelerate this ability. For many organizations, the workplace is becoming the tool and location for fostering and reinforcing an organizational culture and for driving innovation. They are turning their workplaces into locations that attract workers. The workplace is becoming a place for socializing and informal knowledge sharing, where the exchange of information may not be directly connected to the task at hand but still is of immense value. As a result, the workplace’s role in driving innovation, well-being and inclusion is being recognized and promoted.
Chapter 2: What is Neurodiversity? | Section 7: Expert Testimonials
Chapter 2: What is Neurodiversity? | Section 7: Expert Testimonials
JEFFREY SAUNDERS | Futurist
Jeffrey Saunders is an executive advisor, strategic foresight expert, and futurist; he is CEO of Nordic Foresight. He has written extensively on the future of work and its implications on organizations, employees and workplaces. He is the Workplace Evolutionaries Denmark HUB co-leader. Previously, he was director and head of the strategy & innovation team at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS), chief consultant at SIGNAL Architects and a national security consultant in the U.S.
Why do you think there is a growing awareness about neurodiversity among organizations? Neurodiverse individuals often possess higher-than-average abilities in such areas as pattern recognition, memory and mathematics. These skills are in high demand as more and more sectors of the economy become data driven. Managers in many organizations have become cognizant of the need to harness the creative and innovative capabilities of all their employees. To do so, they need to be more sensitive to individual needs—neurodiverse or not.
Why are companies increasingly seeking to create diverse, inclusive environments? The current wave of automation is eliminating routine knowledge work and enabling the emergence of the innovation society. In this society, labor is liberated to work with creativity, innovation, research and development, along with similar tasks that cannot yet easily be automated. These technologies and the types of work they enable are putting pressure on established organizations, leading to a focus on creating diverse, inclusive environments. First, companies are permitting the emergence of alternative structures that are based on dynamic flows of power, trust, information and authority among coordinators and staff. Enabled by interconnected technologies and people, they can outcompete their more hierarchical rivals. To drive bottom-up innovation, these new organizations need to motivate and increase engagement and well-being among employees. Second, most employees now can work from anywhere at any time. The coming 5G revolution will only accelerate this ability. For many organizations, the workplace is becoming the tool and location for fostering and reinforcing an organizational culture and for driving innovation. They are turning their workplaces into locations that attract workers. The workplace is becoming a place for socializing and informal knowledge sharing, where the exchange of information may not be directly connected to the task at hand but still is of immense value. As a result, the workplace’s role in driving innovation, well-being and inclusion is being recognized and promoted.
JEFFREY SAUNDERS | Futurist
Chapter 2: What is Neurodiversity? | Section 7: Expert Testimonials
Jeffrey Saunders is an executive advisor, strategic foresight expert, and futurist; he is CEO of Nordic Foresight. He has written extensively on the future of work and its implications on organizations, employees and workplaces. He is the Workplace Evolutionaries Denmark HUB co-leader. Previously, he was director and head of the strategy & innovation team at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS), chief consultant at SIGNAL Architects and a national security consultant in the U.S.:
Why do you think there is a growing awareness about neurodiversity among organizations? Neurodiverse individuals often possess higher-than-average abilities in such areas as pattern recognition, memory and mathematics. These skills are in high demand as more and more sectors of the economy become data driven. Managers in many organizations have become cognizant of the need to harness the creative and innovative capabilities of all their employees. To do so, they need to be more sensitive to individual needs—neurodiverse or not.
Why are companies increasingly seeking to create diverse, inclusive environments? The current wave of automation is eliminating routine knowledge work and enabling the emergence of the innovation society. In this society, labor is liberated to work with creativity, innovation, research and development, along with similar tasks that cannot yet easily be automated. These technologies and the types of work they enable are putting pressure on established organizations, leading to a focus on creating diverse, inclusive environments. First, companies are permitting the emergence of alternative structures that are based on dynamic flows of power, trust, information and authority among coordinators and staff. Enabled by interconnected technologies and people, they can outcompete their more hierarchical rivals. To drive bottom-up innovation, these new organizations need to motivate and increase engagement and well-being among employees. Second, most employees now can work from anywhere at any time. The coming 5G revolution will only accelerate this ability. For many organizations, the workplace is becoming the tool and location for fostering and reinforcing an organizational culture and for driving innovation. They are turning their workplaces into locations that attract workers. The workplace is becoming a place for socializing and informal knowledge sharing, where the exchange of information may not be directly connected to the task at hand but still is of immense value. As a result, the workplace’s role in driving innovation, well-being and inclusion is being recognized and promoted.
Chapter 2: What is Neurodiversity? | Section 7: Expert Testimonials
JEFFREY SAUNDERS | Futurist
Jeffrey Saunders is an executive advisor, strategic foresight expert, and futurist; he is CEO of Nordic Foresight. He has written extensively on the future of work and its implications on organizations, employees and workplaces. He is the Workplace Evolutionaries Denmark HUB co-leader. Previously, he was director and head of the strategy & innovation team at the Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies (CIFS), chief consultant at SIGNAL Architects and a national security consultant in the U.S.: Why do you think there is a growing awareness about neurodiversity among organizations? Neurodiverse individuals often possess higher-than-average abilities in such areas as pattern recognition, memory and mathematics. These skills are in high demand as more and more sectors of the economy become data driven. Managers in many organizations have become cognizant of the need to harness the creative and innovative capabilities of all their employees. To do so, they need to be more sensitive to individual needs—neurodiverse or not.
Why are companies increasingly seeking to create diverse, inclusive environments? The current wave of automation is eliminating routine knowledge work and enabling the emergence of the innovation society. In this society, labor is liberated to work with creativity, innovation, research and development, along with similar tasks that cannot yet easily be automated. These technologies and the types of work they enable are putting pressure on established organizations, leading to a focus on creating diverse, inclusive environments. First, companies are permitting the emergence of alternative structures that are based on dynamic flows of power, trust, information and authority among coordinators and staff. Enabled by interconnected technologies and people, they can outcompete their more hierarchical rivals. To drive bottom-up innovation, these new organizations need to motivate and increase engagement and well-being among employees. Second, most employees now can work from anywhere at any time. The coming 5G revolution will only accelerate this ability. For many organizations, the workplace is becoming the tool and location for fostering and reinforcing an organizational culture and for driving innovation. They are turning their workplaces into locations that attract workers. The workplace is becoming a place for socializing and informal knowledge sharing, where the exchange of information may not be directly connected to the task at hand but still is of immense value. As a result, the workplace’s role in driving innovation, well-being and inclusion is being recognized and promoted.
