Here is a brief excerpt from an article by Robert D. Austin and Thorkil Sonne for the MITSloan Management Review. Dandelions, the authors point out, have many beneficial qualities but are considered weeds in the context of a uniform green lawn. To read the complete article, check out others, and obtain subscription information, please click here.

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Like weeds in a green lawn, people who are “different” — whether behaviorally or neurologically — don’t always fit into standard job categories. But if you can arrange working conditions to align with the abilities of such individuals, they can add significant value.

At its annual user conference in May 2013, German multinational software giant SAP AG announced plans to hire hundreds of people diagnosed with autism, with a target of having people with autism represent 1% of the company’s work force by 2020. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines autism as a developmental disorder associated with “impairment of the ability to communicate with others” and “preoccupation with repetitive activities of restricted focus.”2 Companies don’t typically seek out these characteristics in new hires. In fact, the social struggles and behavioral patterns that accompany autism often make individuals on the autism spectrum unemployable. So why did SAP take this unusual step? As a charitable gesture? An act of corporate citizenship?

Actually, there was a strong business rationale for the decision. “We share a common belief that innovation comes from the ‘edges,’” one SAP executive stated in the company’s press release. “Only by employing people who think differently and spark innovation will SAP be prepared to handle the challenges of the 21st century.” More specifically, the company had discovered that some people with autism have abilities that are extremely well-suited to performing some vital information technology tasks. The motivation was to hire people who are among the best in the world at jobs other people are not able to perform as well.

We believe this kind of thinking can be extended much further, to provide significant benefits for companies and society. SAP’s move embodies an emerging management principle — we call it “the dandelion principle” — and offers an alternative way of thinking about human resources management. In some ways, it turns some of the basic tenets about how to recruit and manage people inside out.

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Understanding the Dandelion Metaphor

The dandelion might seem an odd choice for a workplace metaphor. To many people, the dandelion is a nuisance, a weed that can spoil a beautiful green lawn. But the dandelion has many positive characteristics. The roots can be roasted to make a coffee substitute. The leaves are edible and can be used in soups; they are excellent sources of calcium, potassium, iron and manganese and full of vitamins A, C, E, K, riboflavin and beta-carotene. Researchers in Canada are even studying whether an extract from dandelion roots could have cancer-combating potential.6

Given its inherent positive qualities, you might wonder why the dandelion is considered a weed. The answer has to do with context: Within a carefully maintained lawn, the yellow dandelion, with its jagged leaves and long stalk, is out of place. However, in contexts that don’t call for uniformity, we can appreciate the dandelion’s distinctive attributes.

In many ways, SAP’s people with autism spectrum disorders were like weeds that didn’t fit into standard job categories. But once the company designed contexts that were aligned with the individuals’ tendencies and abilities, the people who didn’t fit in elsewhere were able to add a lot of value. The company’s logo depicts a dandelion seed, sailing in the wind in search of a place to thrive and grow.

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Here is a direct link to the complete article.

Robert D. Austin is a professor of management of creativity and innovation at Copenhagen Business School as well as an adjunct professor at Western University’s Ivey Business School in London, Ontario. Thorkil Sonne is founder and chairman of Specialisterne Denmark and the Specialist People Foundation and CEO of Specialisterne USA. Comment on this article here or contact the authors at smrfeedback@mit.edu.