Interested in starting a pro AS company.

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Alright here goes, has anyone thought much of creating a company that is pro aspie, or atleast directs the corporate culture to embrace AS traits as an advantage to the work environment?

I'm studying engineering, and the more I learn about organizational structures, the more impersonal standardize work environment's where specilization and expertise seem like something we were born for.

There are competing models of how organizations should communicate. On the one hand communication is seen as something best to be done in person, with special importants put on persuasive, and emphasizing abilities. Yet the importance of non verbal communication, emails, graphical displays of informations( charts), as well a need for predictable and repetitive paper work is needed at ever alarming rates.

Management is also in a paradigm shift.

In the olden days the boss was the boss and there was no need for his actions to be justified. Nowadays the leader is expected to display non verbal and emotional guidance to the worker, through communication, assurance, and directing of public opinion. something we have a clear disadvantage in.

At the same time vertical management a pyramid structure, of boss at the top and laborer at the bottom is fading. . This is a result of the cult of personality phenom, where to advance a person creates an idealized, heroic, or infallible image that is so far removed from reality that it can cause a company to go bankrupt. It is now starting to be proven that it's best to spread leadership roles laterally in a circular revolving structure, meaning the leader is the person with expertise on a specific area, so that one can only be promoted through experience and merit creating a far better moral than simply subjugation.

The ability to sell, and the ability to reason are also in conflict. Many companies, have a sales and purchasing person as the same role. However the skills needed in each position are very different. A sales person needs to be able to persuade a customer in emotional terms why they need a product and distance the buyer from any logical flaws in a product . In contrast, a purchaser needs to be free of emotional bias, and best able to use logic and reason to know what the company needs in contrast to what is being pushed by the sellar.

The NT, and the AS also have very different issues socially in the work environment. We generally have trouble communicating and working in a team when the goals, and expectations are not clear. Nt's, however can be overly caught up in office politics, involved in conflicts, unable to see things logically, be overly caught up in emotional bias, and have an inability to follow explicit rules and models of behaviour.

The impersonal, standardize work environment's where specilization and expertise seem like something we were born for, so to suggest there is a need for our types

Last edited by Stoek on 13 Oct 2012, 11:19 am, edited 4 times in total.

I like it - I will put some thought into it.

I'd be interested in such an organization. If you had AS people who were good at something - probably related to software development - and could hire project managers who knew how to work with AS people, and a sales staff to do the communication aspects, the result would probably look like a lot of startups. You'd have a small, tight mix of people with different talents clustering to bring an idea to market. What we probably need is an incubator of some sort, which can match up ideas, talent, and support.

The most difficult thing would be to get it off the ground. You'd have to attract funds. The AS part could be a big selling point, since you'd have people capable of implementing ideas for new software. That's a big point to venture capital and investors. Software projects are notorious for running over budget and time. If you had some really good AS people who could produce working code, it would be an asset. After all, the main thing you hear about AS is the stereotype that AS is some kind of genetic advance for the information and computer age. That could be played up to interest investors.

The challenge to me is I wouldn't even know where to start. I'm not an idea person, and not familiar with the finance world. You'd have to develop an idea, and make a business plan that could be pitched to investors showing how they'd get their money back plus a return. (One goof thing about investors is that AS shouldn't matter - they don't care if you are a purple-skinned demon from Venus if you can show them how you'll turn a profit in a finite amount of time.)

I think this could be done, and would probably attract momentum. The starting point would be to get an idea for the next big thing, and find someone who is good with business and interfacing with financial types.

This stuff is not as easy as it sounds - the amount of lawyering involved is staggering.

Agreed. I think the starting point would be locating AS types that are chronically underperforming to there true abilities. This would require a network like WP, that can identify those with AS, and more important determine which traits are best able to be trail blazer. It would have to be very restrictive at first, as initially there would be a great deal of resistance to it.

The second part and the crucial detail would be developing a coporate culture that we can work under. It would be a big part of any possible sales pitch. Having a system that can work better.

Third you would need an investor, ideally the AS type company, would be a consultant assitanting already viable companies better meet there needs. (i.e. replace an already existing I.T. department with Aspies).

I think the only way it'll ever work is if some serious research is done how to train and direct a new business culture, and more importantly locate motivated and capable individuals willing to really make a place for themselves.

I'm intrigued by the example from baseball, that a veteran pitcher learns to win even when he or she doesn't have their "best stuff." That is, it's not how good your A game is. A large matter of business success (besides market luck of course) is how good your B game is.

And I really like the idea of getting some healthy interplay going between theory and practice. Organizations preach this, but not many organizations actually do this.

Let's branch out a little. I have one year's experience selling furniture.

And delivery is huge, that's where a company either gets a good reputation or a poor reputation. And customers don't really want to pay for delivery or pay enough, and that's a difficulty.

Okay, 4 hour windows and probably three shifts:

8 am to 12 noon,
12 noon to 4 pm,
4pm to 8 pm.

Give the customer a call when they arrive at the previous drop off.

You will get behind, there will be delays. Don't overpromise the customer. Don't make the window or have to re-schedule for the next day, then go ahead and give the delivery for free.

It is almost more important to honest communicate, that is, 'not lie' from the customer's perspective, than it is to actually make the window.

A reasonable price for delivering something like a queen-size bed is $50.

There are incentives so executives and sales people will ride with delivery drivers one or two half days a month.

And that's the key! That's one of the big things which will get interplay going between theory and practice.

@Stoek, In what area are you into making business? construction, computers, machinery, health etc..?

And how will you get the sales? (that pays salaries, facilities, equipment etc)

And, 80% of new businesses fail.

That's right, 8 out of 10 new businesses will not make it. That statistic needs to be known, felt, embraced.

What then is a person to do? Well, it's a little bit like trying to make a living as a professional poker player. You've got to have more than one buy-in! Failing at one business is merely a prerequisite to trying at another.

This is an establishing management style already. You just have to find the companies.

Look up the book "first break all the rules"

http://www.amazon.com/First-Break-All-R ... l+the+rule

This isnt just for aspies. The idea is that the company needs to embrace the personal style of all their employees.

This is a great book and I believe everyone should read it if nothing else but to see what they could be looking for.

Most of silicon valley runs this way. It's one of the few places where aspies are embraced by the corporate culture as essential to making it all work.

We need a Silicon Valley that isn't in Silicon Valley. High cost of living, high population density, congestion - everything someone with AS is not looking for in quality of life. I'm probably the kind of person they want there, but I wouldn't want to live there.

Silicon valley came from initial military contracts and other stable government contracts.

So if you know a place where stable business can be made and interest other people with sustainable companies to move in there. You got your know "silicon valley". Top candidates is adjacent to a lively university campus.

On a practical note there has to be some limitation on what companies that may establish them self there. And make sure a grid of corridors through the area is reserved for future commute lanes for Personal rapid transport, trams, water, electricity, network etc.

More than thought about it, I did it. Me and my roommate both have Aspergers, and created Asperger Experts to help teach parents what goes on in our minds. We also plan to teach corporations how to use people with Aspergers to their advantage, and take advantage of our special interests. PM me if you are interested in learning more, always willing to talk!

From my understanding these types of books tend to just shoot out ideas, not really focus on any one idea.

The design of a work environment, for aspies is a very specific task. Our situation is very unique.

You wouldn't happen to have any research data on how we function in the work environment.





Aware my dream company spacex is ran by elon musk an obvious aspie.

The issue is so much of business culture whether or not it's in silicon value, is directed with the nt in mind. Also the issue of us generally just being exploited by the corporate system is another issue we face. It'd be nice to work in a structure that isn't easily exploited by charismatic dodos.

Anyhow I'm canuck, and I won't be living in california anytime soon.

I do not have any research data at this moment. The way I am approaching all of this, I don't feel like I need research data at this moment.