In today’s complex, innovation-driven world, fostering diversity is a strategic imperative, a point that was driven home globally on Dec. 3 when United Nations observed International Day for Persons with Disabilities.

While diversity discussions historically have focused on race, gender, and cultural background, many employers have started to focus on another previously marginalized group: the neurodiverse community, people whose brains are wired differently than neurotypical individuals. This diverse group includes those with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), dyslexia, and a wide range of other differences.

It’s a topic I often discuss with my colleague Johanna Benesty, who claims that embracing neurodiverse teaming unlocks competitive advantage. She provides three strong arguments:

1. Because of the unique ways in which neurodivergent individuals see things and approach challenges, neurodiversity offers a reservoir of untapped talent potential in specific domains.
2. The unique brains of our neurodivergent colleagues create new opportunities for organizations to improve teaming, combining the strengths of neurodivergent and neurotypical thinkers into a team more powerful than one consisting of neurotypical-thinkers alone. In the same way that neurodiversity is often referred to as a “hidden disability,” Benesty argues, for some individuals. it also can obfuscate superpowers – capabilities or attributes that allow an individual to perform far above average on a certain dimension.
3. By better understanding the neurodivergent among us, we better understand everyone with whom we work or interact.