Defining and Developing Agency with ADHD
from https://unsplash.com/@jontyson
I’m liking the term agency these days, and I think it is a concept that can be useful for Global Creatives.
What does agency have to do with ADHD, leadership, and influencing outcomes?
Plenty, but first, let’s take a look at the definition I am thinking of.
In social science, agency is defined as the capacity of individuals to act independently and make their own free choices. By contrast, structure are those factors of influence (such as social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, ability, customs, etc.) that determine or limit agents and their decisions. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agency_%28sociology%29
Another source describes agency “as an expression of autonomy against social institutions, structures, and cultural forces.“
Global Creatives can struggle with how to overcome the executive function challenges of ADHD. They can also struggle with navigating structures in society that subscribe to conventional rules and processes, many of which are contrary to how our brains function best. Hence the distinction between constructs established by the majority neuro-typical way of thinking and acting vs. the minority neuro-divergent way of thinking and acting.
Two popular but polar camps of thought are to either:
Attempt to assimilate into the majority structures found in society and organizations. To, in a sense, pass as neuro-typical. This masking effort may work in the short run but is exhausting and unfulfilling in the long run.
Attempt to reject all constructs neuro-typical and rebel against all things conventional. Although idealistic and noble, one still has to pay bills in a timely fashion. Living off the grid sounds romantic, but the lack of neuro-typical constraints will not alleviate all of one’s executive functioning challenges, like keeping the sink clean of dishes.
I’ve tried both, and neither works great. This is why I like this idea of free choice and being an independent actor. With agency, we can navigate the moderate latitudes between the extreme poles presented above. It is a chance to honor your unique offering and unique brain wiring without ignoring these very real social (and physical) constructs we come up against in our 24 hour day.
So as I think about agency, I invite you to consider it too.
Where are you enjoying agency?
Where would you like more agency?
How can you foster agency in yourself and others and still honor the collective objectives, the healthy boundaries and needs of your organization?