Abstract

People with Asperger Syndrome (AS) often struggle with change and this is magnified when it is part of their professional role to manage and lead change. Written by a business leader with Asperger Syndrome, this practical guide provides advice and strategies for coping with and implementing change in the workplace.

Combining theory and practice with case studies and hands-on tools, the book aims to help those who find change particularly difficult to overcome these challenges and use their unique talents and skills to become change champions in the workplace. The book explores the change management life cycle and how it affects leaders with AS and teaches key skills for successfully leading change, preparing staff for change, and dealing with the effects of change on the organisation as a whole.

This is a vital leadership development handbook for executive-level business professionals with Asperger Syndrome as well as those who aspire to careers in these roles.

Dr. Rosalind A. Bergemann has worked as a business leader for over 20 years, having held positions in global business strategy, finance and international human resources. She is Chairperson of Asperger Leaders, an organisation supporting people with Asperger Syndrome holding senior positions in business, Non-Executive Director of Dimensions, Non-Executive Director of Brain in Hand and CEO of a global change management consultancy. She is educated to doctorate level in the fields of international business and organisational psychology, as well as leadership studies through Harvard Business School. Dr. Bergemann was named Consultant of the Year at the National Management and Leadership Awards 2013 by the UK Chartered Management Institute. She is based in London, UK.
This book will be a great encouragement to those who are either in, or aspire to take on leadership roles in business and the professions. I hope it will also be an inspiration and challenge to those NTs who assume that AS people are a liability. The message is loud and clear in these pages: the innate strengths, and the skills you have had to learn in many areas of your life, mean that if you have Asperger traits, you are in some ways even better equipped to adapt than those who have never experienced the challenges of change.
from the foreword by Will Napier, Chartered Psychologist in private practice