'All people exhibit all four behavioral factors in varying degrees of intensity.' - W. M. Marston
Over the course of the next few post, I want to take a more in-depth look at the DISC. DISC assessments, along with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the best selling and most widely used assessments in the business world, and has been for a long time. A high quality assessment, coupled with a professional who has experience and knowledge in using it, can give you a wealth of information about a person.
So first things first: DISC is a theory about patterns of human behavior. It is concerned with how people act. In other places I talk about how I hate the term 'personality assessment', and many times the DISC gets lumped into that category. But that's wrong!
What we call 'personality' is a combination of many different factors present in a human being. Behaviors is a part of it, but so are motivations, skills, acumen, emotional intelligence, fundamental assumptions, and beliefs.
DISC only looks at one part of that: observable behavior. Each of the four factors - D, I, S, and C - correspond to a different aspect of how people act in regard to particular situations or more generally to their context.
Before going any further, here's what the DISC isn't:
- It is not a personality assessment!
- It does not look at what motivates a person;
- It does not measure a person's skills or competencies;
- It is not a magic bullet for any personal or organizational problem.
Here's what is is:
- It's about how people act
- It can give you deep insight into patterns of behavior
- It can help you predict, based on preference and their past, how a person will behave
- It can help you think more clearly about what a job needs
The four factors are:
D - dominance. The D is about how a person responds to problems and challenges, and how they make decisions.
I - influence. The I is all about how a person deals with other people and handles their social relationships.
S - steadiness. The S is about how someone prefers the pace of their environment.
C - compliance. The C is about how a person responds to rules, regulations, and constraints placed on them by outside authority.
Each factor has a 'high' and a 'low' side to it, with each side having different behaviors. Each factor tends to have it's own preferences regarding communication (both sending and receiving information), strengths that it brings to a given situation, as well as possible limitations.
There is no wrong or right, good or bad style! All people have some combination of all four factors, and we all adapt our behaviors depending on where we are, who we are with, or what the situation requires.
An understanding of the DISC can help you change your behavior to improve your work performance and relationships; will allow you to make better decisions about who to hire, how to manage them, and how to develop them; and it will help you save money, increase performance and productivity, and improve morale.
An Important note: DISC is a theory, not an assessment. A DISC assessment is a tool wrapped around the theory, and the assessment you use matters! Like most things in life, if it is free, it probably isn't worth much. You get what you pay for. The assessment we use, from Target Training International, has over 30 years of research and use, is regularly tested for validity and reliability, and is the best-selling assessment in the world.
Next time, we will deal with the extroverted factors: the D and the I. I'll give an overview, and then highlight some of the particular strengths and possible limitations of each. I'll finish with a discussion of their communication preferences, so that you can have better communication with your people.
If you'd like to discover how your people behave, connect with us. Stay tuned for next time if you'd like to learn more!