Problem-solving style
Become a certified VIEW Practitioner.
Why choose VIEW certification?
Imagine: a team of smart, motivated people sitting around a table to tackle a complex issue. Yet the collaboration is difficult. One person wants to generate new ideas right away, far beyond the beaten track. Another wants to thoroughly understand the problem first and proceed step by step. Someone thinks out loud and needs others to help shape their thoughts. A colleague needs silence to reflect before sharing anything. One person makes decisions based on data and logic. Another weighs the human impact above all else.
No one is wrong. Everyone is creative—but in fundamentally different ways.
These are not personality flaws or team conflicts. They are style differences — deep-rooted, consistent preferences in how people approach problems, process information, and make decisions. And they are completely normal, universally present, and extremely valuable — if you recognize them and know how to make them productive.
That is exactly why VIEW: An Assessment of Problem Solving Style was developed.
What makes VIEW unique is that it does not pass judgment. No style is better or more creative than another. VIEW reveals how someone is creative — not how much. That distinction, known as the level-style distinction, is the conceptual core of the instrument and is one of the most important contributions of the Cognitive Styles Project to global creativity research.
As a certified VIEW Practitioner, you have the knowledge, interpretation skills, and tools to use this instrument professionally and responsibly. Whether you work as a coach, facilitator, HR professional, team coach, or organizational consultant, VIEW gives you a common language to discuss diversity in thinking and use it productively.
Evidence-based results
VIEW is not an intuitive model or a popular theory. It is the result of more than twenty years of systematic research, conducted within the Cognitive Styles Project and continued by an international network of researchers and practitioners. Here are some of the most relevant insights
WHAT IS VIEW?
The three dimensions of VIEW
The VIEW model was developed by Edwin C. Selby, Donald J. Treffinger, and Scott G. Isaksen, and is based on more than two decades of research conducted as part of the Cognitive Styles Project. It integrates insights from cognitive psychology, learning psychology, and the field of psychological types.
VIEW distinguishes three independent dimensions of problem-solving style:
Dimension 1 — Orientation to Change (OC) Explorer ↔ Developer How do you deal with structure, originality, authority, and the search for information? Explorers seek radical innovation and challenge existing paradigms. Developers refine and improve within existing frameworks with an eye for usability and efficiency.
Dimension 2 — Processing Style (PS) External ↔ Internal When and how do you share ideas? External processors think out loud, building ideas through interaction with others. Internal processors reflect first, refine, and share only when they are ready.
Dimension 3 — Decision-Making Style (DMS) Person ↔ Task Where do you start when you have to choose or decide? Person-oriented decision-makers weigh relational harmony and human impact. Task-oriented decision-makers start from objective criteria, logic, and a focus on results.
Every combination of styles is valuable. VIEW does not distinguish between better or worse — it makes diversity visible and discussable.
People who understand their own problem-solving style are better able to monitor and adjust their own thought processes. Research shows that this metacognitive awareness — the ability to think about your own thinking — is one of the strongest predictors of learning performance, problem-solving ability, and creativity. VIEW offers a concrete and accessible framework for developing that awareness.
Cognitive diversity in teams — differences in how people think and approach problems — is demonstrably linked to higher creative output and better decision-making. But diversity without understanding leads to conflict and inefficiency. VIEW gives teams a common language to identify, understand, and make productive use of style differences. Facilitators and coaches who integrate VIEW into their coaching see teams reach consensus decisions faster and collaborate more inclusively.
A frequently asked question: “Can you change your style?” The answer is nuanced. Style preferences are stable — they do not change significantly as a result of training. What does change is how consciously and flexibly you deal with your style. Research by Murdock, Isaksen, and Lauer (1993) confirmed that cognitive style preferences did not change significantly after a full semester of CPS training — but participants did learn to use their style comfort more consciously and to work outside their preferences when necessary.
The three VIEW dimensions align seamlessly with the components and phases of Creative Problem Solving version 6.1™. Research by Hurley (1993), Schoonover (1996), and Isaksen & Geuens (2007) shows that people with different styles have clearly different preferences for specific CPS tools and phases.
An Explorer will spontaneously gravitate towards broad divergence exercises and the generation of radical ideas. A Developer will be more at home refining solutions and creating implementation plans. A certified VIEW Practitioner can respond to this and consciously design sessions so that all styles contribute optimally.
VIEW has been validated on large, diverse samples in multiple countries and contexts — from university students to managers in international organizations. The instrument has strong psychometric properties and has been translated and applied in Europe, North America, and Asia. It is used by coaches, HR professionals, CPS facilitators, researchers, and executives worldwide.
What will you learn in the VIEW Practitioner Certification Training?
The certification training combines theoretical depth with direct practical application. You won’t leave with a folder full of theory—you’ll leave with the ability to immediately apply VIEW professionally in your own practice. After completing the training, you will be able to:
- Thoroughly understand and explain the VIEW model
You will understand the scientific roots of VIEW: the level-style difference, the Cognitive Styles Project, the connections with cognitive psychology, learning psychology, and psychological type theory. You will be able to explain the model clearly to participants without jargon and answer frequently asked questions such as “Is this the same as MBTI?” or “Can I change my style?”
- Administer and process the VIEW Assessment professionally
You know how to administer the assessment correctly, how to process the results, and how to generate individual and group reports. You are familiar with the psychometric properties of the instrument and work within the ethical framework of certified use.
- Interpret and discuss individual VIEW profiles
You can read and interpret an individual profile: what does a pronounced Explorer style mean in practice? What are the strengths of an Internal Processor? How does someone with a moderate preference for Decision Making work? You conduct feedback conversations that are empowering—not reductive. You help people recognize their profile in their own behavior, without pigeonholing them.
- Analyzing team profiles and making the style mix productive
You learn how to bring together the individual profiles of a team into an integrated team overview. You recognize potential areas of tension and blind spots in the style mix, but also the unique strengths that diversity offers. You guide teams in discussing their style differences in a constructive, psychologically safe way.
- Integrating VIEW into CPS facilitation
You will learn how to consciously use VIEW when designing CPS sessions: which tools appeal to which styles? How do you ensure that Explorers and Developers, Internal and External Processors, Person- and Task-Oriented Decision Makers all contribute optimally? You will adapt your facilitation style based on the style mix in the group.
- Utilizing the three sub-elements of Orientation to Change
You will work not only with the three main dimensions, but also with the refined sub-elements of the OC dimension: Preference for Novelty, Structure & Authority, and Search Strategy. This nuance makes it possible to make meaningful distinctions within the Explorer or Developer preference and to provide more targeted feedback.
- Using VIEW outside the facilitation context
You will discover how VIEW can be used in individual coaching programs, leadership development, selection and development interviews, onboarding processes, and team charters. You will translate the style insights into concrete behavioral recommendations that people can apply immediately.
- Working ethically and responsibly with style diagnostics
You work from a value-neutral position: all styles are equal and potentially valuable. You avoid reducing people to their profile, safeguard confidentiality, and create a safe context for feedback. You know the limits of the instrument and know when other tools or expertise are more appropriate.
VIEW Practitioner Certification Course
Schedule
This certification is conducted entirely online.
Preparation:
- Complete VIEW: An Assessment of Problem-Solving Style,
- Preparatory reading, and
- quiz #1.
Submission deadline: April 24, 2026.
|
Monday April 27 9:00 – 16:00
|
Tuesday April 28 9:00 – 16:00
|
Wednesday April 29 9:00 – 16:00
|
Who is this certification for?
The VIEW Practitioner Certification Training is not a standard course on personality types. It is an in-depth professional development program for people who work with groups, teams, or individuals on a daily basis in a context of learning, collaboration, or change—and who want to enhance that work with a scientifically based and practical tool.
You don’t need to be a psychologist. However, you do need to have a professional context in which you can use VIEW in a meaningful and responsible way. Do you recognize yourself in one of the profiles below?
- Coaches and leadership coaches
You guide individuals or managers in their professional development. You notice that many of the patterns you encounter in coaching — procrastination, conflicts in decision-making, difficulty collaborating — are related to differences in style that people cannot explain to themselves.
VIEW gives you, as a coach, a validated framework to make those patterns visible and discussable. Not as a label or diagnosis, but as a starting point for a richer coaching conversation. You help your coachees understand how they naturally approach problems, where their strengths lie, and how they can switch more consciously when the situation requires it.
- CPS 6.1™ Facilitators
You are familiar with Creative Problem Solving and guide groups through complex issues and innovation processes. You know that not every participant approaches a CPS session in the same way — and that some tools or phases feel much more natural to certain people than to others.
VIEW gives you the language and insight to understand those differences and respond to them consciously. You learn to design sessions that do justice to the full mix of styles in the group — so that Explorers and Developers, internal and external processors, person- and task-oriented decision-makers can all contribute at their best. The combination of CPS 6.1™ and VIEW is therefore one of the most powerful tools you can have as a facilitator.
- HR and L&D professionals
You are responsible for talent policy, leadership development, or learning and development programs. You work with assessments, competency models, and development trajectories — but find that standard tools do not sufficiently capture the richness and complexity of cognitive diversity.
VIEW offers you a value-neutral, scientifically based tool that you can use for onboarding, team composition, career coaching, or designing inclusive learning environments. Because VIEW does not rank styles, it empowers all employees — regardless of their background or job level.
- Team coaches and facilitators
You work with teams that want to collaborate better, understand their dynamics, or navigate a period of change. You see how style differences lead to misunderstandings, frustrations, and missed opportunities—but also how that same diversity can be a huge asset when used consciously.
VIEW gives you a structured approach to identifying, discussing, and making productive use of the mix of styles in a team. You learn how to facilitate a team discussion based on VIEW profiles, how to identify blind spots without hurting people’s feelings, and how to turn the complementarity of different styles into genuine teamwork.
- Consultants and advisors in change and innovation
You guide organizations through transformation, innovation processes, or cultural change. You know that the human side of change—how people respond to new structures, uncertainty, or radical ideas—is at least as important as the substantive strategy.
VIEW helps you as a consultant to quickly and accurately understand why certain people or groups show resistance, why some teams perform better than others, and how you can design interventions that take into account the diversity of styles within the organization. It makes your consulting practice richer, more nuanced, and more effective.
- Trainers and educators
You design and deliver training courses, workshops, or educational programs—on leadership, collaboration, creativity, communication, or another domain. You notice that participants respond differently to your approach: some want to experiment right away, while others need more structure. Some thrive in group discussions, while others prefer to work individually.
VIEW provides you with a scientific framework to understand these differences and to tailor your didactic design more consciously to the mix of styles among your participants. This increases the transfer of your training courses: what people learn sticks better when it matches how they naturally learn and work.
- Researchers and academics in creativity, organizational psychology, or HRM
You have a professional interest in the scientific basis of creativity, cognitive style, or organizational behavior. The level-style distinction, the Cognitive Styles Project, and the theoretical foundations of VIEW are relevant to your field of research.
The certification training not only offers you practical tools, but also a thorough introduction to the theoretical architecture behind VIEW — including the links to cognitive psychology, learning psychology, psychological type theory, and creativity literature. A solid foundation for those who want to use VIEW in research contexts or academic education programs.
Do you recognize yourself in multiple profiles? That’s not an exception — it’s the rule. VIEW is just as versatile as the professionals who use it. What all participants have in common is a genuine interest in how people think, collaborate, and grow — and the ambition to make a meaningful contribution to this as professionals.
Investment participation and materials:
€1,950 (excluding VAT)
Participants receive:
- Access to the VIEW Assessment for yourself (including personal feedback report)
- Thorough insight into the theoretical and psychometric basis of VIEW
- Practical tools for individual and group feedback
- Manual and interpretation materials for certified practitioners
- Access to the community of certified VIEW Practitioners
- Certificate of VIEW Practitioner (issued by Better Change Tools / o2c2 Consulting)
- Listing on the network of certified VIEW Practitioners on o2c2.eu
Registration closes on Monday, April 13, 2026.