You might have heard of the MBTI assessment and how it can help your employees but implementing the DISC assessment at work can be just as useful without the overwhelming costs. There are many ways to understand your employees and harness their strengths and weaknesses but we often overlook simple tools that help put matters into perspective and the practical uses of the DISC assessment are an example of that. Whether you want to identify someone with leadership qualities to train for a managerial role or you’re trying to reassign workers to find more like-minded teammates, utilizing the DISC assessment for your employee’s growth will be able to give you some direction to get started.
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Implementing DISC Assessment at Work—What It is and Why It’s Useful
DISC stands for dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness. The test categorizes individuals into these four overall behavior styles and makes it easier to understand the typical characteristics of the one taking the test. Measuring these styles in terms of directness and openness as well as pace and priority, the test helps understand the degree to which a person displays the behaviors to give you a simple but comprehensive profile that you can use in further interactions with these individuals.
The DISC profile gives you insight into the communication style of the individual making it easier to customize their workstyle and work in a space that understands who they are and what they need. An employee’s work results provide insight into the expertise in their specific field already, so instead of repeatedly assessing how good they are at their jobs, tests like DISC provide insight into their personality to see how you can help them be better instead. The test provides 20 situational questions for an individual to answer, and based on the responses, various behavioral tendencies emerge.
Each personality has a “shadow side” that highlights some of the areas that could be a weakness or a stressor for them. The profile report also provides some insight into possible areas of conflict the individual might experience as well as suggestions for what could be done to help them integrate into the workplace better. Considering the various benefits of DISC assessment in the workplace, executing testing for all employees could make the workplace a much more cohesive place to work.
The Origins of DiSC and Where You Can Find It
The original concept of the DISC inventory was first presented by William Moulton Marston, psychologist and writer of the 1928 book Emotions of Normal People. Just as we have other theories of personality like McCrae and Costa’s Big Five Factor Theory, the DiSC categorization is another popular approach to personality that is well suited to the workspace.
If you’re considering enhancing your workplace culture with the DISC assessment, be caution about selecting the source to ensure your results are as accurate as possible. There are many versions of the test available online that may not give you an accurate picture of your profile but Wiley’s Everything DiSC should give you a reliable experience with the test. Whether you test a specific team or conduct a company-wide assessment, the real results of the test will only show after you make changes to implement the learnings from the assessment.
How To Utilize the DISC Assessment for Employee Growth
The DISC assessment serves as a valuable tool for comprehending individual behavior and communication preferences in the workplace. There are many benefits of the DISC assessment in the workplace and these extend from improving employee relations to boosting their productivity.
Obtaining a better understanding of employees makes you better able to work in favor of their strengths and create accommodations and supports for weaknesses so implementing DISC assessment at work can be a great idea for your teams. The extensive assessment gives you a lot of data to work with, so carefully consider the information and how it can be utilized.
Here are some ways in which you can make use of the DISC assessment to foster employee growth:
Understanding Individual Behavior Styles:
- Administer the DISC assessment to employees to pinpoint their dominant behavior styles
- Provide employees with personalized reports detailing their behavior styles, strengths, and areas for development based on the assessment results
Enhancing Team Dynamics and Workplace Culture with DISC Assessment
- Cultivate greater teamwork and collaboration by aiding employees in understanding and valuing each other’s behavior styles
- Construct diverse teams that capitalize on the strengths of individuals with different behavior styles
Conflict Resolution and Management:
- Simplify conflict resolution by understanding employees and their predominant characteristics and perspectives
- Preempt potential sources of conflict within teams and eliminate potential irritants from their environment
- Encourage employees to communicate effectively and empathetically, considering the behavior styles of their colleagues
Practical Uses of DISC Assessment For Professional Growth
- Craft personalized development plans for employees that acknowledge their strengths and improve on their weaknesses
- Provide training and resources tailored to address areas for improvement identified through the assessment, such as communication skills, leadership development, or conflict resolution
- Encourage employees to take on various new opportunities that fall in line with their profile such as conferences, workshops, networking events, etc.
Tailoring Communication and Leadership Styles
- Utilize insights from the DISC assessment to customize communication strategies and leadership approaches
- Identify employees with strengths that fall in line with the leadership qualities you want in your team and create the right circumstances to help them improve them
- Adapt communication styles to align with the preferences of employees with varying behavior styles, thereby enhancing understanding and collaboration in the workplace
Implementing DISC assessment at work for Coaching and Mentoring:
- Pair employees with mentors or coaches who can offer guidance and support based on their behavior styles and development needs.
- Encourage mentors and coaches to leverage their understanding of the DISC assessment so their advice and feedback can be more targetted
- Set up reminders for employees that guide them to recollect aspects of their personality profile so they can put it to use at work.
There are many benefits of adopting the DISC assessment in the workplace and it can serve as a treasure trove of information. It is necessary to exert some restraint—the employee’s entire work experience should not be forcefully curtailed to match what the assessment says as it is just a suggestive test at the end of the day. Employees might have preferences for a different approach to the specific situation so consider their opinion as well while planning your approach to them.