Here are answers to a number of frequently asked questions about problem-solving style and specifically about the VIEW instrument. If you have additional questions that are not answered here, please contact us using the contact form on this website.
3. Why did we select the three dimensions that VIEW measures?
VIEW's three dimensions (Orientation to Change, Manner of Processing, and Ways of Deciding) represent a synthesis of personality theory, cognitive science, and the psychology of creativity and problem solving. VIEW's development was guided by many years of experience, research, and observation of people learning and applying creative problem solving. When we examined closely how individuals solve problems, particularly when they need to work together with others, differences on these dimensions explained a great deal of the strengths and tensions we observed. Further, when we studied many other assessments designed to help people understand and appreciate style differences, these three dimensions grew in importance. To ensure that VIEW's dimensions would be would be clear, readily understood, and practically useful, we refined our definitions to focus on behavioral preferences rather than "deeper" analyses of personality. Finally, we concluded these three dimensions were sufficient to explain important differences in problem solving style and easy for people to understand, remember, and apply. The VIEW Technical Manual (
) provides a detailed review of the theoretical and conceptual foundations of VIEW and the specific rationale for each of VIEW's three dimensions.
