Even if you haven’t personally undertaken a DISC assessment, it’s likely that you know several individuals who have. With over a million participants each year, DISC is remarkably effective in aiding organizations to enhance teamwork, communication, and productivity within their workplaces.
Globally, various organizations—including governmental bodies, Fortune 500 firms, and new ventures—employ DISC.
The DISC model consists of four personality types, each represented by a specific letter in the acronym.
Dominance
You exhibit confidence in most scenarios and are driven by achieving measurable outcomes.
Influence
You display warmth, openness, and are typically extroverted. You readily connect with others and have the ability to influence those around you.
Steadiness
You are reliable, patient, calm, and collaborate well with others. You thrive in stable and predictable environments.
Conscientiousness
You prioritize quality and precision and may—for instance—take more time to finish your DISC assessment.
Although DISC is constructed as a behavioral assessment for workplaces rather than a test of specific skills or abilities for a job, many organizations utilize it for such purposes. To gain insights on how best to use DISC, we consulted with Krysta Van Ranst, founder and learning business partner at Building PPL, a consulting company serving the construction sector. A significant part of Van Ranst’s role is to assist construction firms in developing their workforce.
Understanding DISC: Natural vs. Adaptive Profiles
Similar to the nature versus nurture debate, DISC operates with two distinct profiles: natural and adaptive. As Van Ranst states, your natural profile reflects who you truly are in informal settings, such as at home or with friends and family. “Your natural profile remains constant unless you experience a major life event,” she notes.
Conversely, adaptive profiles can—and often do—fluctuate. “This is influenced by your mood, the day, and ideally, it evolves throughout your career depending on the roles you assume,” Van Ranst explains.
When a person’s natural profile diverges significantly from their adaptive profile, it may signal a risk of burnout in the future. Van Ranst likens it to attempting to write with your left hand if you are naturally right-handed. “Adapting at such levels becomes much more challenging if there isn’t a closer alignment between your natural and adaptive profiles,” she emphasizes.
How Companies May Misuse DISC
Organizations implement DISC in various manners. Some leverage the tool to foster stronger and more productive working relationships among teams, while others find it valuable for training managers in engaging and motivating their staff.
Additionally, some organizations use DISC during the hiring process and then abandon it shortly afterward. “Many companies require you to complete it, but then you never receive the results, or you receive a lengthy 30-page report that leaves you uncertain about its usefulness,” she clarifies. In contrast, Van Ranst collaborates with a certified DISC specialist to assist a new hire in understanding their results.
She advises leaders to harness the comprehensive insights offered by DISC to better comprehend both their own behavioral traits and those of the individuals they supervise. “If you’re going to have people do this assessment, make sure to utilize it effectively,” she asserts.
Best Practices for DISC
A good practice for hiring managers is to first evaluate if a candidate’s profile corresponds with the daily responsibilities of the position for which they’ve applied. She contemplates questions like, “Will this individual need to be highly focused, or is a faster-paced approach more suitable?” “Should they lean more towards being a people-centric person, or is it acceptable for them to be more task-oriented and work behind the scenes?”
Once a hiring manager has reviewed the broader context of a candidate’s profile, they should assess how that individual would complement the existing team. Based on her own experience, Van Ranst notes that her next hire at Building PPL will ideally be a C type, as her six-member team lacks that specific profile.
Another consideration is the nature and duration of the project for which the candidate is being hired. “For short-term projects, having similar profiles might enhance teamwork, as they’ll likely think along the same lines,” she observes. However, “for longer-term projects, the benefits of a diverse project team in terms of behavioral profiles are considerable.”
Why Depersonalizing DISC is Key for Team Dynamics
A prevalent myth surrounding DISC is the belief that certain profiles are inherently more “desirable” or “hirable” than others. In truth, an individual’s DISC profile is less about the person and more about their compatibility with an existing team. Van Ranst insists that every team member completes a DISC profile regardless of their tenure at the organization. This establishes a shared language among team members and serves as a useful reference during interpersonal interactions.
Having this common language creates unity and can make giving and receiving feedback feel less personal. “You can say, ‘Your dominance is really showing at this moment.’ This allows the individual to recognize it and possibly dial it back a bit,” she explains. By using DISC terminology, team members can gain different viewpoints without feeling personally attacked.
Potential Downsides of DISC
Despite DISC’s effectiveness as a hiring resource, it’s not without its flaws. Companies that mandate candidates to fill out a DISC profile during the interview phase might receive distorted results.
Candidates unfamiliar with DISC or its intended role within organizations may mistakenly view it as a test they must ace, responding based on what they believe their future employers wish to hear rather than what genuinely reflects their actual behaviors. For example, individuals heavily motivated by financial incentives may downplay those aspects in an attempt to appear more agreeable or team-focused.
Moreover, presenting DISC’s four personality types can elicit unconscious biases or assumptions. Some studies indicate that men exhibiting dominant traits are often perceived as effective leaders, whereas women displaying similar characteristics might be branded as “bossy” or less favorable among colleagues.
This underscores the importance of not allowing DISC to be the sole element in hiring decisions. DISC styles are influenced by the individual’s context, and everyone possesses traits across all four behavioral dimensions.
Three Ways DISC Helps You and Your Teams
Insights from Krysta Van Ranst of Building PPL
You Gain Self-Awareness
There are truly no right or wrong responses when filling out your DISC profile, thus fostering an environment conducive to self-awareness. Reviewing the results can provide profound insights, as it enables you to reflect on your behavior in the workplace and better understand your reactions in challenging situations.
You Learn How to Adapt to Others
Gaining awareness of your tendencies in the workplace paves the way for adopting more effective behaviors and communication methods. For instance, if you receive an extensive email from a client that you believe could have been conveyed in a sentence, you can modify your response to be more comprehensive.
You and Your Team Speak the ‘Same Language’
Utilizing DISC can serve as a valuable foundation for forming a diverse team. With its four elements, everyone embodies various levels of—dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness—enabling you to recognize diverse perspectives and methods for providing and receiving feedback.
