Creative Problem-Solving Style Assessment
Discover how you naturally approach challenges and generate solutions.
Based on Min Basadur's research on creative problem-solving styles, this test identifies the stage of problem solving you naturally gravitate to: generating ideas, conceptualizing the big picture, optimizing the details or implementing action. Knowing your style helps you see what you bring to a team and where you lean on others.
Before you start There are no right answers. Pick what is usually true for you, not what sounds best.
Answer the following 12 questions based on how you naturally prefer to work, not how you think you should work. There are no right or wrong answers.
What it measures
Your preferred cognitive style in the creative problem-solving process: Generation, Conceptualization, Optimization, or Implementation.
Based on: Creative Problem Solving Profile (Basadur, Graen & Wakabayashi, 1990)
Possible results
The Generator
Spark of Innovation
The Conceptualizer
Architect of Vision
The Optimizer
Master of Refinement
The Implementer
Engine of Execution
Common questions
Is this test scientifically validated?
The four styles come from published research by Basadur and colleagues, who found them useful for describing how people and teams approach problems. This 12-question version is an adaptation written for this site and has not been validated on its own, so use it for self-reflection and team conversations, not for hiring or formal assessment.
Can my problem-solving style change over time?
Yes. While you have a natural preference, cognitive styles are flexible. Your work environment, current role, and life experiences can strengthen different aspects of your problem-solving approach.
How does this short test compare to the original questionnaire?
The original Creative Problem Solving Profile is a longer commercial questionnaire with its own scoring and published norms. This 12-question version gives a quick indication of which style you favour, but it cannot tell you how strong each preference is or compare you with other people.
Sources
- Basadur, M., Graen, G. B., & Green, S. G. (1982). Training in creative problem solving: Effects on ideation and problem finding and solving in an industrial research organization. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance. doi:10.1016/0030-5073(82)90233-1
- Basadur, M., Graen, G., & Wakabayashi, M. (1990). Identifying individual differences in creative problem solving style. The Journal of Creative Behavior. doi:10.1002/j.2162-6057.1990.tb00533.x
- Basadur, M., & Head, M. (2001). Team performance and satisfaction: A link to cognitive style within a process framework. The Journal of Creative Behavior. doi:10.1002/j.2162-6057.2001.tb01048.x
An honest note This is a short adaptation with questions written from scratch, not the original Creative Problem Solving Profile, which is a commercial instrument; your result is not comparable to its published norms. Basadur's research supports the four styles as a useful way to describe preferences within a team, but most of that evidence comes from the author's own group, and a forced-choice test like this one shows which style you favour, not how strong each one is. Treat the result as a starting point for reflection, not a fixed label.