^^ I understand my comment on genius could be seen in a negative light, e.g., genius-level intellects are problematic and perhaps undesired. I mean quite the opposite:

1) I prefer geniuses to be working in areas where they are pushing boundaries further. I don't think such talent is used wisely in service to finding novel solutions to mundane problems much faster than the average expert. Better to throw three experts at the problem instead.

2) However, sometimes a large organization finds itself with a true genius in the ranks. (It might just be the sort of work they enjoy, or the best job in their region and they don't want to relocate, or any other factor) The problem is that even well-organized large organizations are is highly structured and setup to organize the massively vast majority of people who are not geniuses.

Yet a true genius is inherently an agent of chaos. They are a genius precisely (in part) because they see things beyond the current structures & paradigms, and realizing their potential requires them to either break or circumvent the current status quo. If you put such a person in an agile scrum and assign them stories, they will either

1) Quit out of boredom

2) Fuck off on their responsibilities out of boredom.

3) Complete their assigned tasks finding novel and interesting ways to solve (compared to their capacity) stupidly simple problems that will make future code maintenance a nightmare when a mere expert or newbie has to decipher it.

4) If #3, they may have their productivity recognized and be promoted into a PM/Manager type of role they will hate, at which point see #1 & #2.

Under #2 & #3, if you're fortunate, they will spend their copious free time finding more interesting things to do that benefit the organization. If not, they'll be off pursuing their own curiosity.

So, any organization should have some mechanism of recognizing these individuals (This is not something I have an easy solution for because, given #1 & #2 above, they can sometimes be indistinguishable from lazy/incompetent) However, if recognize, you need to set them to very challenging tasks suited to the direction of their genius:

Build a team around them. At least one of those team members needs to be an expert. This is the person that will act as a buffer between the genius and everyone else. The expert will also coordinate with the rest of the team to determine the practical/logistics involved in making use of the output of the genius. They will systematize the chaotic creative forces at work. They will document, they will disseminate to the rest of the organization, they will ensure that the incredible value of the genius's work isn't lost if/when the genius moves on, retires, or whatever.

How do I know this? I've seen one or two geniuses myself. I have even experienced this dynamic first hand. Let me be clear though: I am absolutely not a genius on that level. I am very much a generalist with a few areas that extend close to expertise. I have, however, found myself working in organizations that are so far behind what is possible that even very basic things have had people label me a "genius", which is very embarrassing because I'm not. And what I've done-- to use an artistic metaphor-- is kindergarten finger painting, Yet presented to a crowd that's never seen art, I am praised as a Picasso. Seriously: Pulling down 5 years of data, pre-processing in python (my preference) and running some basic regressions in R to show that a current very time-consuming process was useless was thought to be revolutionary.

As a result, I've been through #1, #2, #3, and I'm currently resisting #4. When in #3, which is most of the time, I try to document as much as possible and make sure anyone who would be responsible for my work if I left is fully in the loop on what I'm doing. And I get to spend about 10% of my time on things I find truly interesting that push my own limits. But I like working for organizations that are behind the times, if they are flexible to accept change. I like it precisely because while I am not a genius, I am pretty good, and working with such organizations still allows me to make an outsized impact on them for the good.