21 February 2020

The keys to the DISC personality test that you need to know about

Do you know what the DISC personality test is? The DISC assessment is a judgement-free test that provides information about an individual's personality and behavioural characteristics. It is often used by companies and organisations that want to achieve more effective teamwork, e.g. to increase sales production or improve working relationships.

The test enables people to access easy-to-understand data about themselves and the how they interact with the people around them.

After completing the DISC personality test, employees find out more about what motivates them and what makes them tick. work-related stress, The programme is designed to improve their understanding of how they respond to conflict and solve problems.

They can use this knowledge to modify their behaviour when interacting with certain people and improve working relationships.

What does the DISC personality test involve?

The DISC personality test is represented by a circle illustrating the range of «normal behaviour» for a human being. That is, the range of emotions and perspectives derived from healthy psychology. This circle is divided along two axes to form four quadrants:

The horizontal axis is often referred to as the “Driver”. It defines the upper and lower halves of the circle, where the upper half represents extroverts (outgoing people) and the lower half represents introverts (those who are more reserved). Fast movements, faster speech, and agile decision-making are associated with outgoing people. Introverts often speak more slowly and with a softer tone of voice. They may also take more time for careful consideration when making decisions.
The vertical axis is known as the “Compass”. It represents the left and right hemispheres of the circle and describes whether a person is oriented towards completing tasks or interacting with other people. The left half of the circle represents task-oriented people, whose behaviour tends to focus on logic, data, results and projects. The right half shows those who are people-oriented, who prefer to focus on experiences, feelings, relationships and social interaction.

When both axes are combined, the circle is divided into quadrants which form what is commonly known as the DISC model of human behaviour. The results of which show, not only the individual's profile type, but also the variable intensity of the behaviour expressed.

How to use this test in the workplace?

Success, both individually and within a team, is generally measured by how well people can communicate with each other. The DISC personality test acknowledges that people are inherently different and have different needs when interacting with others.

If an individual is aware of their own personality type and the personality types of those around them, they can learn to communicate more effectively.

Analysis of the communication needs of team members or employees (here we explain how to achieve this Effective communication) allows for the optimisation of information flow. By examining the strengths and weaknesses of certain DISC profiles, an individual can develop a more flexible approach to communications.

Understanding how different profile types send and receive information makes it easier to avoid conflict or misunderstandings. For a manager or team leader, knowing what motivates or distresses different profile types within the workplace can be an excellent way to get the best out of their team.

Some companies use the DISC personality test as part of their hiring process. Have you considered using this personal profiling system that already uses 70% of Fortune 500 companies?