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Insight

Neurodiversity, Unconscious Processes, and the Hidden Dynamics of Workplace Inclusion

6 July 2026

Leadership development Organisational and system change

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Many organisations position themselves as advocates for inclusion and diversity. Yet the lived experiences of neurodivergent employees often reveal a more complex and contradictory reality. Policies may emphasise equity, accommodation, and belonging, but neurodivergent staff frequently find themselves encountering micro-marginalisation, misrecognition, or pressure to conform to dominant cognitive norms – what is referred to as neurotypical behaviours. These tensions suggest that the challenges neurodivergent individual’s face cannot be understood through structural or behavioural analysis alone. Something deeper is required to understand what is shaping organisational life beneath the surface.

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Introduction

A systems psychodynamic perspective offers a powerful lens for understanding these dynamics. This approach views organisations not only as rational systems but also as emotional and symbolic ones – places where anxiety, fantasy, and defence mechanisms circulate collectively, often outside conscious awareness. From this standpoint, neurodiversity becomes more than a category of cognitive difference; it becomes a symbolic site onto which organisations project unspoken fears, uncertainties, and desires.

In many workplaces, neurodivergent staff are unconsciously positioned as “containers” for organisational anxiety – particularly in environments marked by rapid change, competition, ambiguity, or performance pressure. Their perceived difference can evoke primitive organisational defences (in response to unspoken anxieties) such as splitting, idealisation, scapegoating, or the enforcement of rigid norms that privilege neurotypical ways of thinking and behaving. These processes often operate beneath the surface of explicit inclusion agendas. This insight piece isn’t to criticise inclusion agendas rather to try to understand why they sometimes fail neurodivergent staff particularly when the desired level playing field is never attained and staff find themselves pushed out of the organisation.

For example, a company may publicly champion psychological safety while simultaneously pathologising communication styles, interpreting sensory needs as resistance or non-conforming to the organisation’s cultural norms, or framing requests for clarity as deficits rather than legitimate adaptations. Such contradictions reveal the presence of organisational defences: collective strategies that protect the institution from confronting its own anxieties about difference, vulnerability, or loss of control. In this context, neurodiversity becomes a site where the organisation negotiates its identity, stability, and sense of competence. In thinking about the organisation in this way, the systems psychodynamic approach invites us to consider how the relational aspects of organisational interactions are inextricably linked to the structural forms and what is happening beneath the surface.

Understanding the treatment of neurodivergent staff therefore requires attention to these unconscious dynamics. By examining how organisational fantasies, anxieties, and defences shape perceptions and interactions, we can better understand why neurodivergent employees are often simultaneously celebrated and marginalised. Recurring psychodynamic patterns include the projection of organisational uncertainty onto neurodivergent individuals, the use of “difference” as a defence against collective anxiety, and the maintenance of normative cognitive hierarchies through unconscious processes. This ambiguity is never spoken to but is fixed within the structure and acted out across the system.

Bringing a systems psychodynamic lens to neurodiversity at work highlights the emotional labour demanded of neurodivergent staff, the contradictions embedded in contemporary inclusion discourse, and the need for organisations to develop greater capacity to tolerate and work with cognitive difference. Genuine inclusion requires not only structural adjustments but also a willingness to engage with the unconscious forces that shape organisational life – inviting cultures that can hold difference with curiosity, containment, and psychological maturity

Case study

Composite Case Example: When Inclusion Meets Organisational Anxiety

A large professional services firm launched a high‑profile neurodiversity initiative, celebrating “different ways of thinking” and encouraging staff to disclose their needs. One autistic analyst, Sam, requested clearer written instructions and reduced exposure to last‑minute changes – both reasonable adjustments aligned with the organisation’s stated commitments.

However, Sam’s manager interpreted these requests as signs of inflexibility and “not being commercial enough.” Team members began avoiding collaboration with Sam, describing him as “too rigid” or “overly sensitive.” Meanwhile, senior leaders continued to promote the organisation as a model of inclusive practice.

From a systems psychodynamic perspective, Sam had become a container for the team’s anxiety about unpredictability and performance pressure. His request for clarity highlighted the team’s own discomfort with ambiguity, triggering unconscious defences:

Splitting – Sam was framed as “the problem,” allowing the team to maintain an idealised image of itself as adaptable and high‑performing.
Projection – The team’s anxiety about deadlines and uncertainty was projected onto Sam’s communication style.
Normative enforcement – Neurotypical behaviours were unconsciously positioned as the “right” way to operate, despite the organisation’s stated commitment to diversity.

The result was a contradiction: Sam was celebrated in policy but marginalised in practice. Only when the team engaged in facilitated reflection – exploring its own anxieties and defensive patterns – did the dynamic begin to shift. Sam’s needs were reframed not as deficits but as invitations to strengthen clarity, communication, and psychological safety for everyone. This was the beginning of a conversation where the team were able to begin to consider the intersection of difference across gender, race, and protected characteristics.

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Reflective Questions for Teams Working with Neurodiversity

These questions help teams explore unconscious processes, organisational defences, and the emotional dynamics surrounding difference.

Exploring Organisational Anxiety

What situations or behaviours in your team tend to generate collective anxiety?
How might neurodivergent colleagues become symbolic carriers of that anxiety?
When someone asks for clarity or structure, what emotions does that evoke in you?

Examining Defensive Patterns

Where do you see splitting (e.g., “good employee” vs. “difficult employee”) in your team?
Do you idealise certain cognitive styles while devaluing others?
How do you respond when someone’s needs challenge your preferred ways of working?

Understanding Norms and Power

What unspoken norms define “acceptable” communication or behaviour in your team?
Who benefits from these norms, and who is disadvantaged?
How do you unconsciously enforce neurotypical standards?

Building Capacity for Difference

How can you increase your tolerance for ambiguity, difference, and discomfort?
What practices help you stay curious rather than defensive?
How might you create spaces where neurodivergent staff can shape norms rather than simply adapt to them?

Disclaimer: Midge identifies as a neurodivergent, she is dyspraxic / dyslexic

Bibliography

Bion, W. R. (1961), Experiences in Groups.

Fletcher-Watson, S., & Happé, F. (2019), Autism: A new introduction to psychological theory and current debate.

Gould, L. J., Stapley, L. F., & Stein, M. (2001), The Systems Psychodynamics of Organizations.

Hirschhorn, L. (1990), The Workplace Within: Psychodynamics of Organizational Life.

Menzies Lyth, I. (1960). A case-study in the functioning of social systems as a defence against anxiety. Human Relations.

Obholzer, A., & Roberts, V. Z. (Eds.), (1994), The Unconscious at Work: Individual and Organizational Stress in the Human Services.

Simpson, P. and French, R. (2006), Negative capability and the capacity to think in the present moment: Some implications for leadership practice. Leadership, 2 (2). pp. 245-255. ISSN 1742-7150 http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1742715006062937

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