Assessments

Good facilitation starts with good data.

Before we design any engagement, we want to understand how your people think, how they approach problems, and whether the environment supports creative work. We use validated instruments to get that picture.

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Our assessments are not personality tests or team-building exercises. They are research-validated instruments that give us and your team specific, actionable information. We recommend assessments based on what the engagement requires, not as a standard package. What follows is an overview of the instruments we use and what each one reveals.

VIEW Assessment of Problem Solving Style

What it is

VIEW measures how people approach change, how they prefer to generate and evaluate solutions, and how they like to work with others when solving problems.

What it reveals

VIEW captures three dimensions of problem-solving style: orientation to change (explorer or developer), manner of processing (internal or external), and ways of deciding (person or task oriented). These dimensions shape how individuals engage in collaborative problem solving and where friction tends to emerge in teams.

Why we use it

VIEW is particularly useful when we are working with groups where problem-solving style differences are creating friction or where a team needs to navigate significant change. It gives people language for what they're experiencing and a framework for working with, rather than against, their differences.

Situational Outlook Questionnaire (SOQ)

What it is

The Situational Outlook Questionnaire (SOQ) is a research-validated instrument that measures the organizational climate for creativity and innovation.

What it reveals

The SOQ assesses nine dimensions of organizational climate, including challenge and involvement, freedom, trust and openness, idea time, playfulness and humor, conflict, idea support, debate, and risk-taking. Together, these dimensions paint a picture of whether an organization's environment actively supports creative work or quietly suppresses it.

Why we use it

Climate is often the invisible factor in why innovation initiatives succeed or fail. A team can have skilled people and a solid process and still produce nothing new if the environment signals that risk-taking is unsafe or that new ideas won't be heard. The SOQ surfaces those dynamics so they can be addressed directly.

See the Climate Assessment

FourSight Thinking Profile

What it is

The FourSight Thinking Profile is a validated assessment that identifies each person's preferences across four phases of the creative process: Clarifying, Ideating, Developing, and Implementing.

What it reveals

Every person has a natural orientation toward one or more of these phases. Some people are energized by defining problems and gathering information. Others light up when it's time to generate possibilities. Still others do their best work when refining an idea into something executable, or when driving implementation. Most teams have a mix.

Why we use it

When we understand the thinking preferences in a room, we can design sessions that leverage each person's natural strengths. Teams that can see their own patterns work faster, build on each other more effectively, and spend less energy working against the grain.

How we choose

How we recommend assessments

We don't have a fixed assessment package that every client goes through. We recommend instruments based on what the engagement requires. If the challenge is primarily about team dynamics and process, FourSight and VIEW are usually most relevant. If the organization is trying to understand why initiatives stall or what conditions need to shift, the SOQ may be helpful.

In some cases we use all three. In others, none at all. The assessment is in service of the engagement, not the other way around.

Curious what these instruments might reveal about your team?

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