Embracing Neurodiversity and Cognitive Bias Awareness in Agile

At the recent Global Scrum Gathering in Munich, Holger Nils Pohl delivered a powerful keynote that fused deep personal insight with practical strategies for improving agile decision-making. As a visual strategist, author, and someone with high-functioning autism, Holger invited the audience into a compelling exploration of neurodiversity, cognitive biases, and visual thinking—and their implications for agile practices. His message was clear: Agility must return to being human-centered, and teams must learn to embrace cognitive diversity to navigate complexity more effectively.

The case for human-centered agile

Holger began by reminding attendees of the original purpose of agile frameworks like scrum: They were designed not just for managing work but for managing complexity, and doing so in a human-centered way. Yet, in many organizations, agility has been reduced to mechanical processes and ceremonies and has lost sight of the people at its core.

His challenge to agile leaders was direct: "Who thinks people have forgotten that agile is human-centered?" Most hands in the room went up. Agile teams, Holger argued, need to prioritize understanding over doing, especially in the early stages of a project.

"The first phase in any complex project is not execution—it's search and understanding. If we skip that, we build on assumptions laced with biases." — Holger Nils Pohl

Understanding neurodiversity in the workplace

One of Holger's most striking analogies involved viewing human cognitive functioning through the lens of "operating systems." The neurotypical OS, he explained, is optimized for social interactions, emotional intuition, and general conformity. In contrast, the autistic OS, which he personally experiences, is wired for logic, detail, and pattern recognition, often at the expense of emotional intuition or social cues.

Holger highlighted that neurodivergent individuals (those with autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other cognitive differences) are not broken versions of the neurotypical model. Rather, they are uniquely wired contributors who offer critical perspectives when solving complex problems.

"You have these people on your team already. You just might not know it yet—some may not even know themselves." 

This framing echoes themes explored by neurodiversity scholars, such as Dr. Thomas Armstrong and Judy Singer, the latter of whom coined the term "neurodiversity." Their work emphasizes the value of cognitive variance rather than pathologizing it.

Biases: the silent saboteurs of agile decisions

Pohl dedicated much of his talk to cognitive biases: the subconscious patterns that shape how we perceive reality and make decisions. These biases, he emphasized, are not just quirks of the mind; they are deeply embedded evolutionary mechanisms, designed to help us survive, not necessarily to make sound business decisions.

He covered several specific biases relevant to agile contexts:

• Anchoring Bias: Giving disproportionate weight to the first piece of feedback.
  
  
• Negativity Bias: Overemphasizing threats or failures due to survival instincts.
  
  
• Confirmation Bias: Seeking only the data that supports our preconceptions.
  
  
• Hot Hand Fallacy: Believing that recent success guarantees future success.
  
  
• Availability Bias: Prioritizing recent or easily recalled events over more representative data.
  
  
• Bandwagon Effect: Following the group even when our intuition disagrees.
  
  

Daniel Kahneman's "Thinking, Fast and Slow" (2011) was cited as foundational for understanding these concepts in cognitive psychology. Kahneman's distinction between fast, intuitive "System 1" thinking and slow, reflective "System 2" thinking underpins much of Holger's argument: Agile teams need to slow down decision-making and reflect on the influence of these biases.

Visual thinking: externalizing the brain

A recurring theme was visual thinking, which is also Holger's specialty and survival strategy as someone on the autism spectrum. He stressed that complex problems are best solved not through endless discussion but by externalizing thoughts visually. This doesn't require artistic skill; sticky notes, whiteboards, maps, and frameworks are all effective.

He introduced the concept of the Bias Radar, a two-dimensional tool that helps teams assess how likely a bias is to be affecting a decision and how much impact it could have. Holger also shared an Assumption Map, where teams can sort assumptions by importance and level of evidence.

"Visual thinking is not about drawing. It's about getting your thoughts out of your head and into a shared space where everyone can work with them." 

These tools align with methods seen in Design Thinking, which encourage visualization to promote shared understanding.

Practical steps: slowing down to speed up

Holger concluded with a series of practices to help agile teams navigate bias and leverage neurodiversity more effectively:

1. Pause and Acknowledge – Make reflection an explicit part of decision-making. Acknowledge that bias is always present.
   
   
2. Seek Diverse Input – Include neurodiverse team members, stakeholders of different backgrounds, and customers.
   
   
3. Ask Disconfirming Questions – Challenge assumptions deliberately. Ask: "What would make us wrong?"
   
   
4. Document and Reflect – Use visual tools or shared documents to record decisions, assumptions, and evidence.
   
   

These suggestions echo research by McKinsey & Company and Deloitte that shows diverse teams outperform homogeneous ones on innovation and decision quality.

Creating space for all operating systems

Holger's keynote wasn't just a call for better decision-making; it was a call for cultural change in how we work. He challenged teams to move beyond tokenism in their DEI efforts and instead design systems that naturally accommodate different ways of thinking and working.

Silent brainstorms, flexible meeting formats, and idea "showers" (where team members drop thoughts into a collection space during discussions) were among the simple yet powerful techniques shared.

"It's not about making everything equal—it's about enabling everyone to contribute based on their strengths." — Holger Nils Pohl

Conclusion: a more inclusive, more effective agile

Holger Nils Pohl's keynote was both personal and universally applicable. It revealed the cognitive underpinnings of agile dysfunction and offered real solutions rooted in empathy, science, and experience. By recognizing the role of neurodiversity and cognitive bias, and using tools to counteract them, teams can make better decisions, foster true collaboration, and navigate complexity with clarity.

As agile continues to evolve, let's remember Holger's final reminder: Agile isn't about velocity—it's about wisdom. And sometimes, wisdom begins by slowing down, listening to different voices, and seeing the invisible forces that guide our decisions.

References and further reading

• Kahneman, D. (2011). Thinking, Fast and Slow. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.
• Armstrong, T. (2010). Neurodiversity: Discovering the Extraordinary Gifts of Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia, and Other Brain Differences. Da Capo Lifelong Books.
• Singer, J. (1998). Odd People In: The Birth of Community Amongst People on the Autistic Spectrum. Honours Thesis, University of Technology Sydney.
• McKinsey & Company (2020). Diversity Wins: How Inclusion Matters. https://mckinsey.com
• Pohl, H. N. (2023). Creating Clarity and The Wrong Planet. Available at holgernilspohl.com