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Tensions on the spectrum: an inductive investigation of employee and manager experiences of autism

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Abstract

The increase in autistic individuals seeking employment has led to a growing need for management researchers to consider autism in the workplace. To date, little organizational research has examined this area and what research does exist relies on theories imported from either general psychology (e.g., stigma theory) or reflects a view of autism as a disability. We use the constant comparative method from grounded theory to explore three research questions and to provide researchers and practitioners with recommendations for how autism influences the workplace. Our data sources include (1) written responses from autistic individuals with an employment history and (2) written responses from individuals who have managed autistic individuals in the workplace. Across our two samples, we found largely complementary viewpoints with some of the main categories revolving around disclosure, communication issues or misunderstandings, and management support. Underlying these categories was a desire for equal treatment and an unfortunate ignorance of what autism is. The responses also led us to provide a framework that is organized around the tensions that autistic individuals feel in the workplace regarding disclosure. We conclude by situating our results in the existing literature and discussing the strategic integration of autistic individuals into the workforce.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management and Marketing, College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC, 29424, USA

    Christopher E. Whelpley

  2. Department of Organizational Science, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    George C. Banks & Rosalyn Sandoval

  3. Department of Communication Studies, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Jaime E. Bochantin

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  1. Christopher E. Whelpley
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  2. George C. Banks
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  3. Jaime E. Bochantin
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  4. Rosalyn Sandoval
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Correspondence to Christopher E. Whelpley.

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Whelpley, C.E., Banks, G.C., Bochantin, J.E. et al. Tensions on the spectrum: an inductive investigation of employee and manager experiences of autism. J Bus Psychol 36, 283–297 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-019-09676-1

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