The Basadur Creative Problem Solving Profile (CPSP) Inventory measures an individual's unique blend of preferences for the four stages of the creative process. By plotting one's Inventory scores on a two dimensional graph, an individual can display his or her own preferred blend of the four different stages. One's largest quadrant on the graph represents one's preferred or dominant style, while the sizes of the other quadrants represent supporting orientations in turn. The resulting unique blend of styles is one's profile.

Each unique style reflects individual preferences for ways of gaining and using knowledge. Some people prefer to understand things more by experiencing while others prefer to use abstract thinking and analysis to understand. Also, some prefer to use understanding for generating options while others prefer to use understanding to evaluate options.

One major goal of the Basadur Profile is to tap resources in all four styles to help the individual, team or organization cycle smoothly through the complete innovation process of finding good problems to solve, developing solutions to those problems, and implementing the solutions. Another goal is to capitalize on an individual's preferred orientation, thus making his or her work more satisfying. It may also point out development opportunities, because just because a person has a preferred orientation it is very possible to increase skills in all four stages of the creative process by training or coaching.

The Basadur CPS Profile is not a personality test. Some organizations ask their employees to take personality tests to determine their individual thinking and problem solving styles. However, employees fear the potential uses of the test results. They wonder if they will be shuffled around and or asked to change their personalities if their tests show them to be a poor fit for their job.

Constructing the Basadur Profile is much less formal and less threatening. It measures states, not traits. It is a tool to help an individual, team or organization understand how to increase creativity and innovation in a supportive environment. No one profile, or style, is considered more "creative" than any other. All styles require creativity, merely different kinds of creativity, each one contributing uniquely to the overall creative process and innovative results. In the example above, we have the Profile of a person who prefers stage one of the process, generation.