The DiSC model is a tool that can be used to unlock self-awareness around your own personality type as well as for colleagues in your team. If used correctly at the right time, this model can help to reduce conflict, personality clashes and improve the working environment so that individuals can perform at their best together.
The DiSC model has four key areas: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, Conscientiousness which all represent styles associated with our primary natural behaviours. Below we will walk through a step-by-step guide as to how to best use this model with a team.
1. Map Names
The square below is divided up into four sections: Active, Accepting, Thoughtful and Questioning. You will also notice that here the squares overlap against one another for example, the upper right square represents both active and accepting and the bottom right represents both accepting and thoughtful. Ask your team members to map out which quarter of the board they feel they best sit in on a post-it note with their name.
Once they have placed their names in the correct space, ask them to move their post-it note horizontally or vertically dependant on how strong they feel they are on the scale. Someone who is highly active and slightly accepting may chose to have their post it note where John's name is on the board to demonstrate where they are on the scale.
2. Highlight Areas
Once all team members have placed their names in a space, we can then start to reveal what each of these sections stand for by placing the DiSC letters into the correct quarters of the board.
D stands for Driving
i stands for Influencing
C stands for Conscientious
S stands for Stabilising
3. Understanding Styles
Driving / Dominant People who are high in D tend to fall into the Driving/Dominant category. People with this particular trait tend to be driven, direct, demanding and decisive. They prioritise wanting immediate results, taking action, challenging the status quo. They also tend to be high risk takers and usually tend to display a high level of confidence in most situations. People with this trait can become impatient, blunt, insensitive and may force decisions when stressed, instead of forming consensus beforehand and can lean towards being authoritative rather than influence to gain what they want. When working closely with a Driving/Dominant personality type try to give them clear direction and updates, be clear on rules and expectations and try respect their need for autonomy at the same time. Influencing People who are high in the i category tend to fall under influencing. People with this particular trait tend to lean towards being enthusiastic, people orientated, extroverted and out going. They are also inspiring, interactive and love to get involved in collaboration. They often can be charming and enjoy engaging others in conversations easily. They can become overwhelmed by focusing too much on people that they can sometimes overlook the details. They can also fear social rejection and have a strong desire to be liked by others and don't take criticism well, especially when it's uncalled for. When working closely with an Influencing personality type try to approach them informally, let them have the time to verbalise their thoughts and feelings and provide them with written details. Conscientious People who are high in the C category tend to fall under conscientious. People with this particular trait tend to lean towards the more introverted scale and tend to be cautious, careful, analytics and highly detail orientated. They tend to be inquisitive and value details and often can appear slightly critical by asking too many questions. When people in the C category become stressed they can become ambiguous in their responses and avoid conflict by changing the topic to something else as a distraction. They tend to respond poorly to pressure especially in a fast pace setting and have a tendency to respond with an even slower pace due to uncertainty and confusion. When working closely with a conscientious personality type try to be logical and present them with the facts, provide plenty of background information and give them some time to prepare beforehand.
Stabilising / Steadiness People who are high in the S category tend to fall under Stabilising / Steadiness. People in this category are introverted, reserved and people orientated. They tend to be supportive, stable, sweet and even shy. They are easy going and tend to be quite calm most of the time. They enjoy supporting, collaborating and maintaining a sense of stability. They tend to work tirelessly to ensure harmony and balance. One of their downsides is that when stressed, this personality type can often avoid conflict to save their relationships. They tend to not like being the centre of attention and can sometimes be overlooked. Some may see them as indecisive and occasionally their abilities are limited by being too overly accommodating to others needs. They can often fear things that hinder their stability or create too much change. When working closely with a Stabilising / Steadiness personality type be warm and supportive, praise often, give them clear expectations and deadlines and let them know how things will be done.
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