Neuroconvergence: An Untapped Strategy for Reducing Communication Mismatches and Enhancing Creativity in Frontline Encounters

Journal of Public Policy & Marketing

On the organizational frontlines, firms and consumers often assume that exchanges will follow formal explicit rules, reproduce implicit social norms, and foster emotional convergence between customers and employees (Zablah et al. 2017). As illustrated above, this assumption may not hold; when the customer's and employee's differing communication needs and interaction expectations fail to align with those of their interaction partner, both parties experience unsatisfactory outcomes—creating negative repercussions. In this vignette, we depict frontline employees and customers whose neurotypes differ; the individuals in the scenario may be considered neurodivergent or neurotypical.