International partnerships
Participation in European consortia increases your impact. Discover our role as a design partner in international collaborations and European programs, where we actively expand our network and initiate new projects.
Neurodivergence in the workplace
Discussion game exploring dilemmas in the hospitality industry
The HOST discussion game fosters conversations about workplace dilemmas in the hospitality sector, with a particular focus on the experiences of hospitality professionals with autism. What challenges do they encounter, and how can we learn from one another to navigate these situations effectively?
The challenge
1
Making issues discussable without generalizing or stigmatizing
2
A collaborative writing process with domain experts
3
Translating theoretical knowledge into an active learning tool
Questions? Need a sparring partner?
Sven likes to think along!
Neurodivergence in the workplace
According to the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), fewer than 10% of people with autism are in paid employment. Additionally, many employers lack the necessary support systems to help neurodivergent employees maintain their roles long-term. The European partnership ‘HOST’ seeks to address this issue.
HOST develops tools and guidelines for managers to help them fully realise the talents of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). 8D translated the collected knowledge and data into a creative intervention: a discussion game about (social) dilemmas in the workplace.
Approach
In addition to co-creative intervention design – in which the intended end user plays an important role – 8D also regularly contributes to exploratory literature research and field research in European projects. For example, the HOST project started with a carefully compiled questionnaire for managers and employees with ASD in the hospitality sector. We gathered input from the target group on topics they would like to see included in the intervention, as well as their preferences in terms of style, structure and form.
The key requirements we established were:
- The primary goal is to promote team building and mutual understanding.
- Employees with autism are not singled out; the intervention involves the entire team, with everyone receiving the same questions and assignments.
- A structured and easy-to-follow format that is linear and step-by-step.
- A cooperative approach with no “winners” or “losers” and no participants dropping out early
Based on these requirements, our designers developed several creative concepts. In collaboration with the target audience and the consortium, we decided on development of a discussion game that incorporates realistic scenarios commonly encountered in the hospitality sector.
Results
The HOST board game is available in English, Greek, Latvian, Danish and German. A limited number of pilot copies are currently being used by partner organisations that work directly with the target group. Based on the results, we are considering further development. We are also investigating the possibility of making print files freely available. This will allow interested parties to print their own copies, thereby increasing the impact of the project results.
Want to read more? This intervention ties in perfectly with an earlier project on neurodiversity in the workplace in which we were involved as a design and development partner: ASES, a game about autism and work.
