Applications of DISC Profile

knowing DISC helps us better understand ourselves, as well as the people around us. DISC can and has been applied in the office, at home and in social settings. disc can also help in behavioral changes, as well as making career switches.

DISC was first introduced in 1926 by Dr. William M. Marston in his book, "Emotions of Normal People". Dr. Marston explained that there are four distinct traits of human behavior, namely, "Dominance, Influence, Steadiness & compliance". Today, DISC is widely accepted as an important tool to understanding human behavior.

this article discusses the different applications of DISC. If you are not familiar with DISC and need to get an overview of DISC profile, follow this link.

better understand ourselves

DISC helps us understand the strengths and weaknesses of different traits, thereby enabling us to channel our resources to develop our strengths. It also brings about awareness of the possible weaknesses that we may have, so that we can try to improve in those areas.

though disc is based on self-assessment (meaning, the subject fills up the information which is translated to the profile), the analysis of the personality is often an eye opener to the participants. Most of the time, we are so used to behaving in a certain way that only when we stop to think about it that we realize that we indeed behave in that way in that particular situation.

this gives us a chance to decide if such a behavior is desirable to us and whether we want to change it.

applying DISC in the office

in the work place, some of the areas where disc can be applied are job interviews, promotions, customer service and team building.

when selecting candidates for job openings or promotions, disc helps us ascertain if a person has the personality traits that are required for the job, whether he will fit into the new role quickly and more importantly, whether he is aware of the weaknesses that he has and whether he knows how to handle the weaknesses.

customer service staff can be trained to understand how to handle different personality types, what are the dominant fears of different personality types and how to communicate with the different personalities.

in team building, staff get a chance to have an insight of the personalities of their colleagues. this gives them a better idea of the strengths, weaknesses and motivations of their colleagues. This helps the team to learn how to deal with one another, how to put the right team member at the right job and how best to work together as a team to achieve push the team to new heights.

In cases where there has been conflicts, understanding DISC will help participants better appreciate why the problems existed and how we can avoid such problems in the future through better communication and reaching a compromise.

applying DISC in the home

not knowing what our family members look for in a relationship can have devastating effects in some cases. a good example is a high 'D' CEO spending 18 hours a day, 6 days a week working (and achieving great results) while making use of sundays to fix things at home. To him, he is fulfilling his duty as the bread winner of the home and providing for the family by fixing things when they are out of order. His wife may be have the 's' personality where all she wants is time to go shopping or catch a movie with the spouse.

when we apply the knowledge gained on DISC at home, we will realize what different personalities look for in a relationship. For example, "I" people want to have fun, "D" people want to get things done, quickly, "S" people want a sense of security and to do things together, which "C" people want everything need and tidy.

applying DISC in a social setting

in social settings, when we apply disc, we will become better at striking conversations, we can learn to make more friends and we can understand what type of activities will interest which type of personalities.

knowing DISC will make us more sensitive to the needs of our friends. as the saying goes, what goes around, comes around, if we take care of the needs of our friends, they will take care of our needs. this will bring about more fulfilling relationships for all parties.

the power to change

one of the most important lessons of disc is that we have the power to decide how we want to behave, which means we can literally alter our personality over time. It would be a tragedy if we learn about our strengths and our weaknesses and there is nothing we can do anything to change them.

through DISC We are able to learn how to use four different methods (modify, capitalize, augment and blend) to adjust our behavior to meet the needs of the environment.

If there is any behavioral profile that teaches us that there is nothing we can do to change our behavior, our suggestion is to not learn it at all. In that way, out ability to learn and change will not be hampered by that theory.

Conclusion

As Sun Tzu once said, if we know our enemy and know ourselves, we need not fear the result of a hundred battles. today, though we are not at war, disc equips us with the knowledge to better understand how to behave, communicate and leverage on the strengths of the people around us, regardless of whether it is the home, office or social settings.

other articles on DISC:
teambuilding and DISC
why should I learn about DISC?
multiple intelligence and teambuilding
back to articles home

disclaimer

While profiling instruments are useful for greater understanding of oneself and other around, there are a few things we must bear in mind with regards to such profiles.

Firstly, no one or set of personality types is superior to the others. It’s all about placing the right people in the right environments.

Secondly, personalities do evolve with time and environment or a conscious decision to change. Any profiling system can only serve as a guide to predict a person’s behavior. We all possess the God-given ability to choose how we want to react in any given circumstance. A change in personality can take place in as little as 3 weeks! We can also manage our behavior by teaming up with the right people, and by adjusting our behavior to suit the people we are dealing with.

Thirdly, most profiling instruments available in the market are based on self-assessment, i.e. getting the subject to fill up a self-perception questionnaire, therefore, the instruments delivered in this way measure the self-perception of the subject, and there is a possibility for the participant to answer the questionnaire according to the personality that he/she wishes to exhibit.

Lastly, profiling instruments in the market, which are not delivered by trained psychologists and doctors, are intended for people under normal circumstances. To measure behavior of people under special or extreme circumstances, we may need to seek professional help from psychologists or doctors.

featured articles:

the hawthorne experiments and employee motivation
what has teamwork got to do with customer service?
understanding DISC - how does it help me?
team brainstorming method