Date of Conferral
2-8-2024
Date of Award
February 2024
Degree
Doctor of Business Administration (D.B.A.)
School
Business Administration
Advisor
Ronald Black
Abstract
Some managers lack strategies to integrate autistic employees into a diverse workforce. A manager's poor integration strategies prevent autistic employees from successfully entering the workforce leaving positions unfilled, services unprovided, and qualified employees unemployed. Grounded in the attribution theory, the purpose of this qualitative multiple-case study was to explore strategies managers use to integrate persons with autism spectrum disorder into a diverse workforce successfully. The participants comprised five managers from Southern California who successfully integrated autism spectrum disorder employees into the workforce. Data were collected from semi-structured interviews, videos, and publicly sourced documents. Six themes emerged from the thematic analysis: supported employment strategies, integration and organizational strategic plan, assessing strategy effectiveness, key obstacles to integration, addressing obstacles to integration, and other useful information to aid integration. A key recommendation is that organizational managers develop an inclusion plan that includes redesigning jobs to meet the needs of employees with disabilities. The implication for positive social change includes the potential to lower the unemployment and underemployment rate of persons with autism spectrum disorder, leading to less reliability on public systems and funding for sustainment and adding to the economic base and growth of the local community.
Recommended Citation
Chambers, Eloise Victoria, "Strategies Managers Use to Integrate Autistic Employees into a Diverse Workforce" (2024). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 15385.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/15385
