{"id":46364,"date":"2022-12-07T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2022-12-07T14:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?post_type=emagazine&#038;p=46364"},"modified":"2022-12-07T09:00:36","modified_gmt":"2022-12-07T14:00:36","slug":"neurodiversity-nicola-whiting-interview","status":"publish","type":"emagazine","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/neurodiversity-nicola-whiting-interview\/46364\/","title":{"rendered":"How cybersecurity businesses are welcoming neurodiverse talent"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Neurodiversity\u2019s importance in organizations is gaining steam, with many large, tech-rich enterprises like <a href=\"https:\/\/hbr.org\/2017\/05\/neurodiversity-as-a-competitive-advantage\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Ford, IBM and Microsoft reforming their HR processes<\/a> to ensure they recruit and retain neurodiverse talent.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Neurodiversity\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Neurodivergent people<\/a> have conditions that mean they think differently than others, for example, autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and dyslexia.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Neurodivergent people may be of especially high value in cybersecurity if successfully recruited and retained.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>I asked Nicola Whiting MBE, co-owner of Titania Group and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.neurocyber.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">NeuroCyber<\/a> board member,\u00a0 why neurodiversity matters in cybersecurity and how businesses can be more inclusive and supportive of neurodivergent employees.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Gemma: Why is neurodiversity important?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Nicola:<\/strong> Neurodiversity \u2013 where you have many different thinking styles and perspectives \u2013 increases the range of ideas in a business, which means competitive advantage in innovation and resilience. It\u2019s the opposite of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Groupthink\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">groupthink<\/a> \u2013 when everyone has similar ideas, so businesses stagnate and make poor decisions.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"c-promo-post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"o-row\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"o-col-12@sm\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<article class=\"c-card c-card--link c-card--hor@xs c-card--small@xs\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"c-card__figure c-card__figure--small@xs c-card__figure--medium@sm\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/neurodiversity-recruitment\/43148\/\" class=\"c-card__figure-link\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/92\/2021\/12\/15031601\/279_neurodiversity_recruitment-1-500x500.jpg\" class=\"attachment-card-default size-card-default wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" data-src=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/92\/2021\/12\/15031601\/279_neurodiversity_recruitment-1-500x500.jpg\" data-srcset=\"\" srcset=\"\">\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"c-card__body  \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<header class=\"c-card__header\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"c-card__headline\">Related article<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"c-card__title \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/neurodiversity-recruitment\/43148\/\" class=\"c-card__link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Why recruiting more neurodiverse talent could benefit your business<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg class=\"o-icon o-svg-icon o-svg-right\"><use xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" xlink:href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-content\/plugins\/kaspersky-emagazine\/assets\/sprite\/icons.svg#icon-arrow-long\"><\/use><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/header>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"c-card__desc \">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Neurodiversity such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia can bring useful abilities to tech teams. But to hire this talent, you\u2019ll need recruitment and workplace policies fair to all.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<footer class=\"c-card__footer\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"c-card__list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"c-list-labels js-has-reading-time\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"c-list-labels__link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/category\/leadership\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Leadership<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li><span class=\"js-reading-time\"><\/span> min read<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"u-hidden js-reading-content\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tThe candidate's application was impeccable. They had great academic scores and a flawless practical test. But in their interview and presentation, they avoid eye contact and can't give a succinct answer. How would you assess them?\r\n\r\nMany hiring managers would dismiss this candidate without a second thought, labelling them \"not a good fit\" or \"fails to perform under pressure.\" But evidence suggests they may be throwing the proverbial baby out with the bathwater.\r\nUntapped potential in neurodiverse workforce\r\nNeurodiversity refers to variations in how people think and experience the world. Neurodivergent people might have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD,) autism, dyslexia and more. Increasingly, these conditions are seen as natural and valuable variation between people rather than disorders.\r\n\r\nMeg O'Connell, CEO and Founder of Global Disability Inclusion, says, \"Companies often overlook people with disabilities, and this includes people who are neurodivergent. Recruiters and hiring managers are not equipped to effectively interview and assess people who are neurodiverse.\"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nO'Connell says not being able to fairly assess a neurodivergent person's abilities deprives companies of talent at a time of higher than average numbers of people resigning. Organizations need a strategy to include neurodiverse candidates. For tech companies, neurodiverse talent can mean especially useful strengths, like hyperfocus, pattern recognition and attention to detail.\r\n\r\nCybersecurity and content marketing consultant Lisa Ventura, who is autistic herself, points to what neurodiversity can offer in cybersecurity. \"[Some] neurodiverse people are good at finding the proverbial needle in a haystack, the small red flags and minute details critical for hunting down and analyzing potential threats. Other strengths include pattern recognition, thinking outside the box and methodical thinking.\"\r\nDifferences are strengths\r\n\"Instead of focusing only on what makes a neurodivergent person different, we should embrace the benefits different viewpoints and minds bring to the table,\" says Ventura.\r\n\r\nThis untapped potential comes in many forms. People on the autism spectrum have faster pattern recognition, attention to detail and a stronger memory. In the workplace, employers report a range of good qualities including honesty, precision and consistency. People with dyslexia have sharper peripheral vision and notice more visual anomalies.\r\n\r\nThom Hartmann, the founder of the Hunter School, describes people with ADHD as \"hunters in a farmer's world.\" Kimi Wright, Operations Executive at UK digital and tech recruiters Adam, says the condition means she can multitask efficiently. \"I find it easy to juggle many pieces of work. I have been often told my hyperfocus is beneficial, especially when I am doing project work or large copywriting tasks. I research new projects passionately and retain a lot of information. When I see a problem, I jump right into it and work my way out. It's meant new processes and smoother ways of working within our team.\"\r\n\r\n\r\nHuman brains exist on a continuum\r\nIn his book The Power of Neurodiversity: Unleashing the Advantages of your Differently Wired Brain, Thomas Armstrong, Executive Director of American Institute for Learning and Human Development says human brains exist along continuums. People process information, present and communicate differently.\r\n\r\nArmstrong explains the 'spectrum' of autism using sociability: Some people with autism are very sociable, some are introverted but relate well to others and some prefer to be alone.\r\n\r\nUptimize is a training platform that helps organizations engage with talent that thinks differently. It uses universal design principles to find out what colleagues, managers and HR can do that will likely benefit everybody.\r\n\r\nEd Thompson, CEO and founder, says management should ask employees their working style preferences and find ways to accommodate. For example taking sensory sensitivities like noise or bright light into account when designing office layout, recreational spaces or company retreats.\r\n\r\nWhen it comes to the remote, hybrid or back-to-office debate, Thompson says there's no 'one size fits all.' \"Some enjoy the control of their own environment. Others miss the stimulation of the office. The key is to be sensitive to each employee's needs and preferences, without making assumptions.\"\r\n\r\nVentura agrees. \"Giving those who are neurodivergent the choice over where and how they work is key. I started to work solely from home in 2015 because I got to the point where I could no longer cope with working in an office. I couldn't stand the noise, interruption and chatter. But I was brought up to ignore all that and go out to work because it's what we must do, and I masked how I really felt.\"\r\nTailored to the individual\r\nTo level the playing field for neurodiverse people, we must revamp job designs and hiring practices. David Emm, Principal Security Research at Kaspersky, recommends, \"thinking outside the box and re-defining the methods we use to draw talented people into our organizations.\"\r\n\r\nWe must move away from the 'survival of the fittest' mindset and focus on making environments in which everyone can flourish. And it's not just about the physical environment \u2013 Rejection Sensitive Dysphoria can often come hand-in-hand with ADHD. Wright says it helps that her manager checks in regularly, breaking news sensitively and working together on hard days.\r\n\r\nIn his book, Thomas Armstrong also talks about the positive feedback loop when neurodiverse people can construct suitable niches for themselves, such as microhabitats or subcultures. Anthony Moffa, working as a Software Engineer as part of JP Morgan Chase's Autism at Work program, says, \"not having to pretend I was neurotypical boosted my identity, confidence and self-esteem.\"\r\nImproving HR practices\r\nHR practices and work cultures must undergo a major revamp to be fair to everyone. Ventura advises job descriptions and advertisements avoid lists of skills and attributes describing the 'ideal' candidate instead focusing on what the role involves and experience needed, making clear what's desirable versus must-have. Requirements like 'must have strong teamwork skills' or 'must be a good communicator' can discourage neurodiverse jobhunters.\r\n\r\nEmployers and hiring manager training helps. O'Connell of Global Disability Inclusion says, \"We help managers understand how neurodiverse talent might interact or respond, giving space for candidates to respond and the opportunity for management to truly assess the skills and abilities of these candidates.\"\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\nTake behavioral-style interview question, where interviewers ask candidates for a specific example of using a skill, with questions like \"tell me about a time you handled a difficult situation.\" Processing large numbers of past experiences and choosing just one can be hard for someone with autism. Instead, experts recommend making questions specific and phrasing them in future tense, for example, \"If one of your team didn't want to participate in a project, how would you encourage them to take part?\"\r\n\r\nShare information in advance, such as interview questions and assessment details. Be open to individual needs and suggest accommodations you can make. For online interviews, Wright suggests displaying the question in chat for the interviewee to refer to.\r\nManaging neurodiverse employees\r\nMany autistic employees feel empowered by routine as they feel comfortable in predictable patterns. Structure and schedule things as much as possible, use templates and break large tasks into smaller ones.\r\n\r\nInterpersonal interactions shouldn't make or break careers. Neurodiverse talent needs ways to show their skills and abilities that don't involve presentations or group work.\r\n\r\nReflecting on how we can make work more inclusive for neurodiverse people shows we can tap into a more diverse talent pool by giving employees choice to work in ways that suit them. Neurodiverse people bring unique advantages and skills. Workplaces have an opportunity today to reinvent themselves and welcome those who think differently.\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/footer>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/article>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\n<p>More personally, being autistic, I\u2019m saddened by how many brilliant neurodivergent people struggle to get jobs in our industry, despite the known skills gap. JPMorgan Chase reported in 2021 that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ft.com\/content\/ea9ca374-6780-11ea-800d-da70cff6e4d3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">neurodivergent employees in certain tech roles may be up to 140 percent more productive<\/a> than neurotypical colleagues. However, businesses still struggle to build inclusive practices that let all neurotypes thrive. I want to help change that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>You\u2019re on NeuroCyber\u2019s advisory board. What are its aims?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>NeuroCyber\u2019s founder and CEO, Mike Spain, has a neurodivergent son. He saw too few opportunities for neurodivergent people in cybersecurity and wanted to change that.<\/p>\n<p>NeuroCyber believes in inclusion at every level \u2013 over half the board are neurodivergent. We\u2019re driven to improve career outcomes for neurodivergent colleagues, enriching the sector and reducing the UK\u2019s cyber skills gap.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Why does the cybersecurity industry especially benefit from neurodiversity?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In cybersecurity, everything we do is either innovation \u2013 creating new things \u2013 or resilience against attack and business threat. Neurodiversity is essential for both. For example, if you follow the principle \u2018to defeat an attacker, you must be able to think like an attacker,\u2019 you need a variety of neurotypes because attackers are similarly varied.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What about in leadership? Should boards and C-suites consider neurodiversity?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Absolutely. Boards should be especially wary of groupthink. Many innovative, well-known entrepreneurs are neurodivergent, like Richard Branson, who is dyslexic, and Elon Musk, who is autistic. There are also many neurodivergent industry leaders who don\u2019t disclose the fact because they fear stigma.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Which cyber organizations are \u2018doing it right\u2019 with neurodiversity?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>One organization I admire is <a href=\"https:\/\/geniuswithin.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Genius Within<\/a>, founded by Dr. Nancy Doyle. They believe in creating inclusive workplaces, allowing neurodivergent people to thrive and maximize their talents and strengths.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What\u2019s your advice for companies that want to become more diverse and inclusive of neurodiversity?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Follow the principle of \u2018nothing <em>about<\/em> us <em>without<\/em> us\u2019 (NAUWU.) Teams that can drive their processes and practices are more engaged and have better outcomes.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>People know what they need to thrive, so you\u2019ll likely get positive, productive outcomes if managers support individual needs and working preferences.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>You should also acknowledge that people have <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/unconscious-bias-reducing-impact\/36944\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">unconscious bias<\/a> that draws them to prefer working with people that look and think like themselves. You can see it in the questions we prioritize in recruitment like, \u201cWill this person <em>fit<\/em> with the team?\u201d rather than, \u201cWhat new skills and talents will they bring, and how will we support them?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s plenty of fantastic advice on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/unconscious-bias-reducing-impact\/36944\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">reducing bias in hiring and retaining team members<\/a>, much of which is free. Companies needn\u2019t look far to learn how to improve their processes, practices and culture for greater diversity and inclusion.<\/p>\n<p><strong>What will organizations gain if they take action on neurodiversity?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Taking action on neurodiversity can mean benefits in terms of growth, innovation and resilience to risk. You\u2019ll also gain the personal benefits of inclusive, welcoming work environments. It always pays to diversify.<\/p>\n<p><em>Opinions reflect those of the expert. Interview has been edited for clarity.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>If you want to improve productivity and increase innovation, Nicola Whiting MBE says recruiting and supporting neurodivergent employees is a great way to do it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2518,"featured_media":46509,"template":"","coauthors":[3504],"class_list":{"0":"post-46364","1":"emagazine","2":"type-emagazine","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"emagazine-category-talent-business","7":"emagazine-category-women-and-diversity","8":"emagazine-tag-careers","9":"emagazine-tag-hr","10":"emagazine-tag-interviews"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/secure-futures-magazine\/neurodiversity-recruitment\/43148\/"}],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine\/46364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/emagazine"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/emagazine"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2518"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=46364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}