HLB International has recently released a new report, The Link Between Innovation and Neurodiversity. The report explores how recognising and supporting neurodiversity can unlock innovative solutions, transform performance, and give mid-market businesses a sharper competitive edge.

To further support our people, HLB has created a toolkit featuring practical recommendations and guidance for practising Neuroinclusion in the workplace. We have summarised some key points from the toolkit, which may serve as a valuable resource to help you start the conversation, build empathy, and make inclusion actionable.

The report and toolkit are available for download here.

Understand different work styles

By surfacing work style preferences, you create a culture where everyone feels empowered to contribute in the way that works best for them.

How to explore work styles as a team

You don’t need a formal assessment to get started. Begin by creating space for open conversations about how people prefer to work. Try one of these approaches:

  1. Working styles canvas – A simple worksheet or shared doc where each team member outlines their preferences.
  2. Cognitive diversity wheel – Map the team’s range of thinking styles (analytical, relational, structural, conceptual) in a visual format.
  3. Team role profiles – Helps teams understand natural roles people gravitate toward in group work.

Make Psychological safety a team norm

To leverage your people’s ‘superpowers’, you need to be giving them some freedom to explore, try, fail, learn, and succeed without being afraid to do so. Psychological safety means people feel comfortable expressing ideas, asking questions, admitting mistakes, and offering dissent without being embarrassed or punished for it.

How to create high Psychological safety among teams

You don’t create psychological safety through a one-time workshop. You embed it through consistent team behaviours. Try these small but powerful rituals:

  1. Open with ideas, not answers – this signals that dissent and imagination are welcome.
  2. Separate the critique from the person – This helps keep discussions constructive and respectful.
  3. Celebrate learning from failure – This encourages people to continue with their experiments.

Model vulnerability to unlock trust

Trust isn’t just built through performance — it’s built through openness. When leaders share their own working preferences, uncertainties, or challenges, it signals to others that it’s safe to do the same.

How to lead with openness and empathy

  1. Explain your “why” out loud – this builds clarity and shows thoughtfulness, not secrecy.
  2. Share learning moments, not just wins – This normalises learning through trial and experimentation, which are part of innovation.
  3. Acknowledge when things feel uncertain – This reassures people that uncertainty doesn’t equal failure.

To learn more and gain deeper insights, explore HLB’s The Link Between Innovation and Neurodiversity report, which highlights key trends and strategies for practising Neuroinclusion globally.