Neurodiversity training for
managers and leaders
Designed for line managers and senior leaders, Divergent Thinking offers practical training that equips leaders with the knowledge, confidence, and skills to support neurodivergent colleagues effectively. Divergent Thinking moves beyond awareness to focus on the everyday decisions and conversations that shape employee experience. Participants develop a stronger understanding of neurodiversity, learn how to recognise and reduce unnecessary workplace barriers, and build the confidence to respond consistently and appropriately to requests for support.
Good management matters
Your managers shape how work is explained, prioritised and reviewed. They are often the first person an employee approaches when something is not working. Yet many managers have had little practical guidance on neurodiversity, adjustments or inclusive conversations.
Little practical guidance
Many managers want to respond well but have had no clear framework for neurodiversity or adjustments.
Uncertainty in conversations
Disclosure, performance concerns and requests for support can feel difficult to navigate without guidance.
Inconsistent responses
Employees may receive different levels of support depending on who their manager happens to be.
Pressure to have all the answers
Managers may hesitate because they worry about saying the wrong thing or feel expected to identify conditions.
What managers learn to do
Everyday Conversations
Our training develops the skills managers need for the moments that matter most, from setting clear expectations and giving feedback to discussing workplace adjustments. Participants learn how to recognise that people experience the workplace differently, ask effective questions without making assumptions, communicate priorities with greater clarity, and work collaboratively with employees to identify and review the support that helps them succeed.
Planning & Response
Equip managers with the skills to respond confidently to the situations they find most challenging, from employee disclosure and overwhelm to performance conversations. Participants learn how to plan meetings, feedback, and organisational change with cognitive load in mind, respond with empathy while maintaining appropriate boundaries, and build consistent, inclusive management practices that extend beyond one-off responses.
Ways we support managers and leaders
Each service can be taken as a standalone engagement or combined into a broader programme. Choose the starting point that fits your current priorities.
What working together looks like
We start by understanding the barriers you are seeing and the change you need. We then recommend a proportionate route — structured enough to be usable, tailored enough to be relevant.
Clarify the barriers
We take the time to understand your organisation, your people, and your goals before making any recommendations, ensuring our approach is grounded in your specific challenges and priorities.
Design proportionate support
We create a tailored programme of support that reflects your organisation's needs, capacity, and objectives, never a generic, one-size-fits-all solution.
Deliver, embed, and review
We support implementation with practical guidance, help embed sustainable change into everyday practice, and work with you to identify clear next steps and meaningful ways to measure progress.
Trusted by Organisations Across Sectors
Divergent Thinking has supported organisations across corporate, education, nonprofit and public-sector settings. Each engagement is collaborative and shaped around the organisation’s context, goals and capacity.
“Nat’s session brought inclusive environments to life. His ability to share practical insights, challenge perceptions, and make complex topics accessible was invaluable. Many left the session feeling inspired and equipped to support neurodiverse talent.”
​
Karen Venn, FIEDP, Inclusion and Diversity Lead, Bakkavor
