Reconceptualizing Leadership From a Neurodiverse Perspective
基于批判性残疾理论,提出神经多样性(如自闭症等)可能成为领导力的认知优势,并构建模型解释其如何促进任务导向的领导行为及对领导者和追随者的影响。
While scholarship has increased on the topic of neurodiversity in organizations, which refers to individuals with pervasive developmental disorders in the workforce, leadership theory and research has not yet integrated this perspective. Consistent with conventional conceptualizations of disability as an impairment, the few relevant leadership studies tend to approach these differences as special cases, rather than as a population to which theory may be generalized. As a result, management scholars have yet to develop theories and models that are inclusive of neurodiversity. Using the critical disability theory as a lens for reframing assumptions about leadership behavior as described in existing theory and research, we postulate that neurodiversity may serve as a cognitive strength from which leadership derives. We offer a conceptual model that articulates how cognitive characteristics associated with neurodiversity may lead to task-based leadership behavior, and we trace the influence of such behaviors on leader and follower outcomes. The model also includes enabling conditions that may positively influence the emergence and recognition of neurodiverse individuals as leaders. We conclude by proposing directions for future research to better integrate the neurodiversity and leadership literatures and reflecting on the associated practical implications.