ND organization, has anyone tried?

[Bobsterkitty]

Still new, still sorting, still not formally diagnosed. Please hear me out as I have this idea that is crystallizing in my head and at least in the industries I have been in, this has never been done as far as I know.
NDs understand one another just as well as NTs understand each other. (TED talk covering 'telephone' experiments with specific groups) Problems occur when the two mix, unaware, and especially when only NT rules, perceptions, and environments are applied to the system.

Has anyone ever seen or been part of a group at work (corporate) that is all or mostly ND, and could you prove better results for both the team and each individual? I am still torn about disclosing anything. Perhaps the best way through is a model like this - to prove our worth and, at the same time, establish a safe space for longevity in the workplace. Remove obstacles. My employer proudly states they include diversity and value the individual. The reality is that diversity in thinking is not part of that consideration, which to me falsifies the entire premise. 15 years ago, I had that discussion with a co-worker (female POC, NT) who thought the notion of diversity in thinking weird as hell! Her husband, also with the company, was pretty cool but her main concern was that I was this capable female co-worker, so she intercepted any friendliness and even whispered her support for my move to another organization into the right ears. I assure you neither he nor me were interested in a relationship outside of just working well together. So this goes to show that NTs really don't get circumstances outside of their expectations and attitudes and often assume malice, incompetence, ignorance and such.

I'm not too fond of disclosing and either being laid off the next time they get a chance or being put in a corner career-wise with some irrelevant task as to not embarrass or expose some jerk. In the big picture, it is best for me and the company to utilize me fully. And since I enjoy other smart "weirdoes" and kind NTs, I'd love to have a microcosm of such folks.

 

[Outdated]

You're right to avoid saying anything specific or identifying about your work in forums. Another member on this forum recently lost their job for that specific reason.

I think your idea is interesting, and some companies also think the idea is interesting enough that they're experimenting with departments of autistic people. At the moment that mostly seems to be in the area of data analysis, I'd like to see it go further.

Many years ago I was a printer and in hindsight I think all the most highly skilled printers were autistic, all of us were a little strange but never had any arguments, yet arguments with middle management happened often and printers had a reputation for changing jobs often.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

As you know, Elon Musk has an autism condition. He is, as one may say, an "ND". He runs his companies totally different. It's no secret that a high percentage of engineers also happen to be "ND" or on the autism spectrum. Elon Musk has created an absolute juggernaut with SpaceX, Tesla, Twitter (now X), and most recently, xAI.

He does a few things different with his engineers. (1). The mantra is experiment, fail, make mistakes, and innovate OR be fired. (2). He doesn't micromanage the improvements that are made, and allows his engineers to innovate "at the speed of thought". When I say this, it's 3-4 engineers literally sitting on the shop floor in a circle with laptops making changes to the production line, while it is running! (3) He has a team of engineers that are cross-trained to work at SpaceX, Tesla, X, and xAI. So, each one of his companies can share and integrate these ideas to make each company more successful.

Just some videos on the topic of how an ND CEO and team can operate:

 

[Tom]

No never tried from a ND perspective. I couldn't even ID myself as such as it might have led to medical discharge (military).

But trying to craft a team that works well together is an common goal and often does involve people with differing skills and mentalities. Its not just a matter of NT and ND. There are also many other variations in people one has to work with. To me ND is just a sub-spectrum of the larger spectrum of humanity.

How to do it can be difficult but one truism I believe is to go with people's strengths while at the same time maintaining fairness in the overall scheme of things.

 

[Gerald Wilgus]

I swear, in my career Engineering is enriched in NDs. I got along well with them and was in demand on projects. One project I especially enjoyed was validating a continues sterilization process for prefilled, sterile, flush syringes using 5 to 10 meV electron beams. I was in my element.

 

[tazz]

I would definitely agree that if you're going to tell someone to innovate, it's important to give them permission to screw up. I always said to the senior members of my teams I'd prefer you try something new and screw it up than be too frightened of screwing up to try anything new. However, I also told them that if they want that freedom, they have to listen and learn. No-one's getting fired for making a mistake. But you are getting fired if you make the same mistake over and over.

My experience is that companies need a variety of thinking types. Most companies need some people who will follow procedures without innovating, as well as others who experiment and innovate.

I'm also wary of grouping people. For me, it would be a last resort. Acceptance is a much better goal. If ND's and NT's don't get along, the solution is to mix them together and make a huge effort to figure out how they can get along better together. Fixing the problem through exclusion really doesn't sit well with me. That said, I'd suggest the idea that ND's and NT's don't get along well is flawed. If a team isn't working well as a team, and if that's because there seems to be some friction between ND's and NT's, the issue is a lack of respect and it's time to figure out what's causing that and fix it - not send the them to opposite ends of the classroom from where they can continue to glare at each other and fester.

 

[paloftoon]

I am personally of such a program now, but before being hired by this program, I did not personally disclose as it definitely would've hurt me more than help me. Disclosing I think helps those who are more lower functioning overall, but for higher functioning people, we have to find different ways to cope and survive.

It's not perfect, but it is more of a safe space than nothing at all.

 

[Rodafina]

I think it makes more sense to tap into everybody’s different strengths. Establishing communication across neurotypes should be an attainable goal if people are committed to an organization/project/goal.

As @tazz said, exclusion cannot be the answer. It is an act that takes away huge potential for contributions from a diverse body of people.

A much more reasonable approach seems to be to get as many diverse opinions and personalities as possible, uniting people toward the common goal with decent leadership to keep communication effective and the project or organization moving in the right direction.