20% of the global population are dyslexic. And the world as we know it wouldn’t be the same without Dyslexic Thinkers. From the lightbulb to the aeroplane, the motor car to the iPhone, many of the world’s greatest breakthroughs have been the result of Dyslexic Thinking.
Despite dyslexia being the most common neurodiversity, it is still largely misunderstood and many dyslexics continue to face stigma in the workplace. In fact, 3 in 4 dyslexics hide their dyslexia at work because they’re worried it will hold their career back.
Why? Because for decades, schools, businesses, and society in general have benchmarked intelligence with a traditional range of standardised tests and measures. And for decades, these tests and measures have disadvantaged those who think differently.
This must change, as the world of work needs Dyslexic Thinkers now more than ever. We are entering the Fifth Industrial Revolution ruled by AI, and dyslexics have the exact ‘human’ skills businesses need to keep up and thrive alongside advancing technology.
Why we need to rethink intelligence in our AI age
We’re on the cusp of Industry 5.0 – the Fifth Industrial Revolution (5IR) powered by minds and machines. Just as steam, electricity, computers and digital connectivity fundamentally changed the way the world worked across past industrial revolutions, modern-day artificial intelligence (AI) is reframing the type of thinking that’s critical for success today – and in the future.
The capabilities of AI have developed rapidly, particularly in the last 10 years. AI not only remembers and learns information well, but it now excels at traditional psychometric tests, verbal reasoning, and situational judgement tests – all thought to be great predictors of job performance in humans. AI is also catching up with more sophisticated tests like numerical reasoning, and with the rapid pace of AI progress, it is likely that AI’s performance in these tests will continue to accelerate and surpass that of humans.
This places a premium on the essential ‘human’ skills that AI simply cannot replace – like innovation, adaptability, lateral thinking, problem-solving and interpersonal skills. These human skills, also known as power skills, interpersonal skills or soft skills, distinguish human intelligence from Artificial Intelligence. As AI takes over tasks traditionally associated with intelligence, like assimilating and recalling knowledge, job roles are transforming. Creativity and innovation are vital, making it crucial to turn the dial on how we think about intelligence in our changing world.
Why Dyslexic Thinking is vital for our AI-driven future
These skills are inherent to one particular group of people… dyslexics. Because our brains process information differently, we can approach problem-solving in innovative and brilliant ways. Dyslexic Thinkers are naturally curious, highly creative, and with an ability to unconventionally connect the dots and think laterally, which makes Dyslexic Thinking crucial for business success NOW.
And the world is waking up to the importance of Dyslexic Thinking. The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs 2023 report found that Dyslexic thinking skills were a direct match for the top 5 sought-after skills:
- Analytical thinking
- creative thinking
- resilience, flexibility and agility
- motivation and self-awareness
- curiosity and lifelong learning
More recently, research from the world’s largest recruitment company, Randstad Enterprise, as featured in Made By Dyslexia’s ‘Intelligence 5.0’ report, shows Dyslexic Thinking skills match the top three in-demand core skills across all 9 major job sectors. Crucial core skills identified by the research include complex problem-solving, analytical thinking, communication, leadership and creativity – which are all Dyslexic Thinking skills.
All the research agrees: the type of intelligence needed in today’s workplace has changed. And dyslexics have the exact intelligence this new 5.0 world needs.
Dyslexic Thinking, Explained
Let’s take a closer look at what Dyslexic Thinking is, and how it complements AI perfectly to turbo-charge business success.
Dyslexic Thinking is defined by dictionary.com as: an approach to problem solving, assessing information, and learning, often used by people with dyslexia, it involves pattern recognition, spatial reasoning, lateral thinking, and interpersonal communication.
There are 6 Dyslexic Thinking skills, each with their own subsets. While no two dyslexics are the same, all will have a combination of some of these skills:
- VISUALISING
At work, dyslexics who are good at visualising excel at mapping out complex user journeys or see project plans come together in their mind. They may have a knack for product development, being able to envision how parts fit together and view challenges from different angles. - IMAGINING
Dyslexics who are great at imagining drive innovation in organisations. Because they see the world differently, they come up with original ideas and give old ones a new spin, providing approaches that no one else has thought of. - COMMUNICATING
These kinds of Dyslexic Thinkers are great at crafting and conveying clear and engaging messages. They can simplify concepts, build narratives or sell a vision, which encourages the rest of the organisation to act. - REASONING
A huge advantage of having a dyslexic in a team, or on a project, is their ability to make connections across complex issues, subjects, and data, which others don’t see. Dyslexics often talk about having sudden leaps of insight that help us to solve problems in an unconventional way. We use our intuition and can rise above a problem to get a ‘big picture’ view, instead of getting stuck in the details. - CONNECTING
Dyslexic Thinkers are highly self-aware and excel in empathising, negotiating, and expressing themselves orally. These skills help make them great leaders who can build, support, and empower teams, people, and organisations. - EXPLORING
Dyslexic minds energise a workplace. With a natural curiosity for learning and exploring new ideas, we constantly seek different skills and ways of doing things. Our energy and passion not only fuels our own growth, but inspires others around us too.
The Fifth Industrial Revolution emphasises adaptability and collaboration with AI, and dyslexics hold the key to achieving this. While AI can’t replicate these valuable Dyslexic Thinking skills, it can complement them brilliantly by removing barriers and allowing dyslexics to capitalise on their strengths.
With their talent for asking insightful questions and exploring options, dyslexics are adept at prompting AI brilliantly. AI Thinking aggregates, while Dyslexic Thinking innovates, making it the perfect co-pilot for Dyslexic Thinking. AI aggregates content super quickly, sifting through huge amounts of information to compile a comprehensive draft to work from. As a result, Dyslexic Thinkers can immediately lean into their skills of imagining and visualising with the information that AI has compiled, allowing them to innovate more efficiently.
Together, Dyslexic Thinkers and AI make a powerful team, combining the strengths of both ways of thinking, often leading to alternative solutions that drive business success – essential in our increasingly complex world.
Supporting Dyslexic Thinking in EVERY business
This is why it’s so important to foster a culture of openness where your people feel PROUD to tell you they are dyslexic — because Dyslexic Thinkers possess the exact skills that AI can’t replace. Not only will dyslexics feel supported to thrive, but others will too. Because you don’t need to be dyslexic to think like a dyslexic. These skills can be fostered in every employee. To do that, businesses must set their workplaces up to recognise, support and empower Dyslexic Thinking.
That’s why my charity Made By Dyslexia has joined forces with Sir Richard Branson, a proud Dyslexic Thinker himself, to launch the world’s first ‘University of Dyslexic Thinking’, alongside our era-defining report.
Dubbed ‘DyslexicU’ and housed on Open University, this innovative, free learning platform is for anyone, at any stage of life, with a curiosity to learn more about the skills so relevant to our new AI-powered world. DyslexicU courses will enable dyslexics to learn more about their Dyslexic Thinking skills, and non-dyslexics to learn about Dyslexic Thinking.
These advancements, as well as our new research, proves the vital role that Dyslexic Thinking plays in business. It is crucial for every organisation to take immediate steps to empower Dyslexic Thinkers. To do that, businesses need to shift their view of intelligence and make serious changes to the way they recruit, hire, train and develop their people to be able to thrive in AI.
Written by Kate Griggs.
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