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World Congress 2026 Europe - Virtual Stage • Jul 2, 2026 • Session details

We Know Developers Are Neurodiverse. So Why Do Tech Teams Still Break?

Luisa Liesenberg

Stop losing brilliant neurodivergent developers to rigid, extrovert-designed workflows. Learn how auditing your organizational architecture creates a flexible environment where every engineer thrives.

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#1 about 4 min

The two engineers we lose to rigid workplace environments

Organizations lose brilliant talent by misinterpreting differently built nervous systems as personality flaws.

#2 about 2 min

Why mere acceptance fails to unleash neurodivergent potential

Accepting neurodiversity without altering team operations prevents people from doing their best work.

#3 about 6 min

How rewarding extroverted performance marginalizes neurodivergent minds

Keeping neurotypical defaults for rituals and evaluations forces differently wired individuals to mask their natural processing.

#4 about 3 min

Hidden costs of ignoring psychological safety and team dynamics

Focusing entirely on product building instead of team interaction methods overlooks proven data on effective collaboration.

#5 about 4 min

The danger of enforcing single process templates across teams

Applying rigid cadences and rituals penalizes non-default cognitive styles instead of flexing to current capacity.

#6 about 7 min

How hiring and promotion funnels filter out diverse thinking

Selecting solely for neurotypical extroversion forces costly masking and eliminates critical warning systems for business risks.

#7 about 6 min

Distinguishing unacceptable behavior from neurological cognitive wiring

Accountability remains vital while recognizing that bluntness or delayed processing represents the double empathy problem rather than malice.

#8 about 5 min

Auditing team architecture to expose hidden communication barriers

Tracing how decisions actually happen reveals when synchronous verbal on-ramps silently filter out deep analytical thinkers.

#9 about 8 min

Implementing shared communication modes to manage cognitive capacity

Using neutral frameworks like color codes allows teams to explicitly shift interaction styles based on task requirements.

#10 about 5 min

Redesigning advancement metrics to capture true technical value

Adjusting promotion paths builds the curb cut effect where alternative communication accommodations make the whole organization sturdier.

Matching moments

2:20 min

Practical strategies for thriving as a neurodivergent software developer

Dennie Declercq · WWC 2022

2:08 min

Navigating and mitigating the impacts of broken engineering cultures

Oskar Kruschitz Oskar Kruschitz · Europe 2026 Virtual

2:22 min

Realigning business structures to support neurodivergent innovation

Rudi Bauer Rudi Bauer +1 · Cappuccino with HR

1:52 min

Customizing structured orientations for neurodiversity and diverse seniorities

Laura Dückers Laura Dückers · WWC 2024

1:36 min

Designing engineering workflows around human judgment and project context

Oskar Kruschitz Oskar Kruschitz · Europe 2026 Virtual

3:51 min

Viewing diversity and inclusion as core system resilience

Artur Ortega · A11y + AI

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