Work, Intersectionality, and Neurodiversity: Understanding and Improving Inclusion Across the Career Span​

Introduction

Neurodivergent adults, including those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia, encounter systemic barriers in employment such as recruitment difficulties, limited career progression, and retention issues, often leading to underemployment and premature career exits (Krzeminska et al., 2019; LeFevre-Levy et al., 2023). These challenges are structural rather than incidental, as many workplace practices adhere to neurotypical norms, viewing cognitive differences as liabilities instead of diverse strengths requiring adaptive practices (Brown & Leigh, 2020; Doyle, 2020). Efforts towards inclusion frequently focus on early-career hiring and a single diagnostic category, usually autism, neglecting mid and late-career trajectories and the multifaceted nature of disadvantage (Austin & Pisano, 2017; Bruyère & Colella, 2022). Single-axis approaches may overlook how compounded inequalities manifest within organizational contexts (Crenshaw, 2013; Yuval-Davis, 2006). 
Experiences of neurodivergence are not uniform but shaped by intersections of gender, race/ethnicity, class, migration status, sexuality, and age. These intersections create distinct patterns of risk and resilience, for instance, compounded discrimination and mental-health burdens among LGBTQ+ people of colour and trans communities (English, et al., 2018; Maroney et al., 2025). In the workplace, intersectional stigma constrains belonging, progression, and leadership for autistic and broader neurodivergent employees (Doyle, et al., 2022; Gottardello, et al., 2025). Minority-stress processes link distal stressors (e.g., biased recruitment, literacy-laden testing, accent bias) and proximal stressors (e.g., masking), with effects varying by identity and life stage (Botha & Frost, 2020).Leadership norms can amplify exclusion when neurotypical, masculine-coded expectations, like rapid verbal responsiveness and charisma, are seen as universal indicators of potential, often undervaluing strengths linked with neurodivergence such as systematic problem-solving and pattern recognition (Liu, 2020; Roberson, Quigley, & Bruck, 2021). Life-course elements, such as late or retroactive diagnosis and static performance systems, can accelerate career attrition, especially during mid and late career stages. Physiological changes, like menopause, additionally shape the work experiences of neurodivergent individuals (Lever & Geurts, 2018; Gottardello & Steffan, 2024). Seemingly neutral institutional structures often perpetuate inequality. Literacy-dependent testing and narrow credential recognition can exclude dyslexic and linguistically diverse workers; language bias and accent discrimination compound these barriers (Hideg, et al., 2024; Kreiner, et al., 2022; van Laar et al., 2019). Standard accommodations and policies fail without strategies that address intersectional complexities, risking exhaustion and career stagnation (Müller et al., 2003; Doyle et al., 2022).Taken together, these insights indicate that meaningful progress requires psychologically informed management attentive to intersectional complexity and oriented toward measurable improvement in people and organisational outcomes. 

This Special Issue of the Journal of Managerial Psychology responds to that need. We invite research that applies psychological principles and theory to executive and managerial roles to clarify when, how, and for whom organisational practices enable or constrain inclusion and effectiveness across the career span. We welcome empirical, conceptual, and practice-oriented contributions examining the relevance of established theories within intersectional neurodiversity contexts and proposing new frameworks grounded in organizational realities (Botha & Gillespie-Lynch, 2022; Doyle, et al., 2022). Of particular interest are studies that translate intersectional insights into actionable levers—selection and assessment, feedback and appraisal, work and sensory design, communication norms, leader development, and culture and policy—and explicitly state managerial implications. 

Authors should identify psychological mechanisms through which management influences outcomes like belonging, safety, and retention. Special Issue aims to show how intersectionally informed, psychologically grounded management can foster healthy and productive organizations.​ 

List of Topic Areas

We particularly encourage interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches.  Submissions may address, but are not limited to:

• Intersectional patterns of inclusion, retention, progression and wellbeing across early, mid and later career stages for ageing neurodivergent workers   
• HR and line-management practices-recruitment, appraisal, promotion and leadership development; intersecting biases and evidence-based redesign for equity
• Intersectional experiences of neurodivergence at work (e.g., ethnicity, gender, sexuality, class, migration status, age)
• Physiological and health transitions in relation to neurodivergence (e.g., menopause, chronic conditions)
• Late/retroactive diagnosis, professional identity, disclosure and workplace support; trajectories, risks and career consequences
• Organisational culture, leadership and policy frameworks for neurodivergent inclusion, foregrounding intersecting identities and power dynamics
• Cross-cultural and non-Western perspectives, including decolonial approaches, highlighting how local norms and colonial legacies shape intersecting experiences of neurodivergence at work
• Comparative case studies of inclusion regimes and workplace adaptations across sectors and settings (including precarious/gig work), with attention to differential outcomes across intersecting identities
• Participatory and co-produced approaches that centre multiply marginalised voices, with ethics and accessibility designed for intersectional needs
• Sector-specific analyses (e.g., academia, public sector, technology, healthcare) specifying intersectional implications for policy and practice and for distinct workforce groups

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: ​01/03/2026​

Closing date for manuscripts submission: ​31/12/2026​

Guest Editors

Debora Gottardello, Ph.D., University of Edinburgh, UK, debora.gottardello@ed.ac.uk​

Narda R. Quigley, Ph.D., Villanova School of Business, Villanova University, USA., narda.quigley@villanova.edu

Susanne M. Bruyère, Ph.D., Cornell University, ILR School, Yang Tan Institute on Employment and Disability, USA, Smb23@cornell.edu