At Employee Development Systems, Inc., many of our training and development solutions begin with the DiSC assessment. The DiSC is, at its most simple, a personality test geared toward workplace dynamics. Like many other personality tests, it’s meant to help people understand how they interact with others and how they’re likely to respond to different situations involving stress or conflict. Self-knowledge is especially important in much of the work that our clients do with us, from leadership to personal effectiveness. It’s difficult to make lasting change without understanding our deeper drives and motivation. Once you see the DiSC assessment explained, you’ll be able to use this tool to achieve that goal.

The DiSC Assessment Explained…

What is the DiSC Assessment anyway?

The DiSC asks a series of questions that determine the presence of four personality traits: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. The interplay of traits is key to determining more specific elements of a person’s personality.

The DiSC isn’t the only personality assessment out there, but we feel that it’s one of the best. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, for example, provides 16 personality types but doesn’t allow for a spectrum of interpretation–you’re either an Introvert or an Extrovert.

The DiSC assessment measures how dominant each of its four traits are compared to the others. For example, someone might be an S personality type, but also display high levels of Influence or Compliance. These slight variations can indicate some significant differences in leadership styles, ways the person might choose to respond to problems, and methods that will work best in communicating.

Thus, while the DiSC offers many different “recipes” for personality types, the presence of only four “ingredients” makes it innately easier to understand than other options. But, again, it helps to have the DiSC Assessment explained in depth before getting started.

How Important Is the DiSC to My Team?

It’s important to remember that while the DiSC forms a solid foundation for a lot of employee development models, it’s primarily as a self-discovery tool. There is no such thing as a “bad” personality or the “wrong” personality for a job. Instead, the DiSC allows team members to better understand their responses and their behaviors without judgment. Each participant receives a detailed report, opportunity to participate in experiential learning opportunities, and video resources. It explains what factors each specific personality type may prioritize in relationships, what motivates and challenges them, and what types of events or stimuli are likely to make each person more or less productive. This information is presented in a way that is easy to understand. Ultimately, the DiSC serves as the foundation for other programs that approach communication skills, personal effectiveness, and effective leadership.

Is the DiSC Right for My Company’s Specific Needs?

Employee Development Systems, Inc. uses a variety of DiSC approaches for different company profiles. These range from DiSC Classic, a more general approach for many different levels at an organization, to more tailored versions geared specifically for sales teams, management, leadership, and more. Combined with our flagship programs like Increasing Personal Effectiveness and Communicating to Manage Performance, the DiSC is a wonderful resource to help businesses, their leaders, and their employees develop better working relationships.

Now that you’ve had DiSC Assessment explained, we hope that you’re interested in learning more about how this tool can improve employee engagement and productivity in the workplace.

Employee Development Systems delivers results-oriented training programs that increase productivity, effectiveness, & performance.