When we think about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), the scale of introversion/extroversion rarely comes to mind. However, studies1 have demonstrated introverts and extroverts make use of different parts of their brain, a literal example of neurodiversity.
While previous definitions labelled introverts as having their “batteries drained” by being around people and extroverts’ “batteries charged” by socialisation, new research by Adam Grant2 suggests the difference is instead in how the two groups handle stimulation: introverts becoming overwhelmed by it, extroverts embracing it.
Consider the modern workplace. Open offices with desks side by side. Communal lunch rooms. Happy hours. Being interrupted or talked over in Zoom meetings.
Even within the Scrum framework, there’s a heavy emphasis on constant collaboration in planning and delivering work.
What I often see this translate to in the field is the introverts on the team checkout. They’re constantly overstimulated, overshadowed by teammates who thrive under multiple simultaneous inputs. Their teammates - the ones who think quickly and out loud - tend to be rewarded for their extrovert tendencies. Leaving introverts to wonder, why even bother?
And for project managers and scrum masters to come to me and ask, “Why are team meetings so quiet? Why isn’t my team engaged?”
Let’s break down five ways to help your team’s introverts feel included in your organisation:
These can either be established across the team as working agreements3 or before a meeting to be in place during its duration. I’ve seen teams establish rules such as, “Practice active listening,” “Don’t interrupt,” “Allow others a chance to speak before speaking twice,” and “Have empathy.” These encourage fostering a safe space for all team members to be heard.
Effective ground rules are created collaboratively by participants rather than being dictated by the project manager or scrum master. You can use some of the techniques below to help in their creation.
As someone who works remotely, I find this to be my favourite technique in online meetings, as it helps quieter participants feel heard. Start each online meeting with a ground rule that participants will use the “Raise Hand” button (or equivalent in your preferred videoconference software) when they would like to speak. This establishes an order to team members’ contributions and ensures that they will not be interrupted. This is particularly useful when working with more talkative team members and can be used in person as well.
When I worked at Amazon, it was common to start the first five minutes of a meeting silently reviewing and making notes on a whitepaper. This is an example of the silent writing technique, which gives team members a chance to quietly gather their thoughts. This break from stimulation can be a huge help to those who require time to process.
Silent writing can happen at any time in a meeting. For example, the team can be broken up into small groups to generate ideas through writing in the middle of a meeting. Or the team can capture individual action items at the end of the meeting. Remotely, tools like Miro, Mural, Trello, or the Zoom whiteboard can be used to facilitate the activity.
Using the chat function in a remote meeting is another way to engage participants who prefer communicating in writing instead of speaking.
In this activity, each team member creates a user manual to describe their communication preferences, working style, and what type of environment helps them feel productive. Team members present their user manuals, which are then stored in your team’s documentation space. This facilitates positive interactions among team members and encourages creativity and team building.
While working as a scrum master on a web development team, I was pulled off the team temporarily to help the program manage a major launch. In my absence, I asked team members to rotate the duty of facilitating our sprint retrospectives, for which we used Trello boards.
This team understood the assignment. Each facilitator brought a different theme to a retro, ranging from baseball to cheese to Legos to unicorns.
While I don’t advise making retro rotation a permanent practice, it can be useful in building team members’ confidence and creativity.
Similarly, I was part of a team that rotated and was in charge of our monthly team social event. Until this time, we didn’t know our quiet developer was a master Among Us manipulator. If we hadn’t played Fibbage: Enough About You, we would never have discovered our QA engineer once unknowingly worked for the Russian mafia.
By turning over some facilitation and planning to members of the team, you are allowing their personalities to shine.
Part of prioritising DEI initiatives is recognising and accommodating the needs of introverted team members. By embracing neurodiversity and honouring the diverse ways individuals engage and contribute, teams can cultivate environments where every voice is valued and heard.
Reference Literature:
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