MORE THAN JUST DISC
By Ashley Bowers
Perhaps you’ve taken a DISC assessment in an educational setting or as part of a team building workshop in your company or department. If so, you’ve experienced what we at TTI Success Insights refer to as a Behaviors assessment. When we consider a person’s behavioral style, we hope that the person attains a greater knowledge of him/herself as well as others. Our Behaviors (or DISC) assessments underscore that the ability to interact effectively with people may be the difference between success and failure in the workplace because we believe that effective interaction starts with an accurate perception of oneself.
The textbook our founder and chairman, Bill J. Bonnstetter, wrote on Behaviors assessments is aptly titled “The Universal Language DISC
,” as Behaviors is the universal language of how we act. Simply stated, it is our observable human behavior. DISC tells us how we respond to problems and challenges; how we influence others to our points of view; how we respond to the pace of our environment; and how we respond to the rules and procedures set by others. There are many companies offering DISC assessments to aid in recruitment, coaching and training efforts, and we understand why – a person’s observable behavior contributes to one’s success on the job, and when matched to the job, they can play a large role in enhancing one’s performance.
There are, however, three other scientific dimensions that, when used in conjunction with a DISC assessment, will provide a more complete view of a person.
Motivators explore why we do what we do, initiating behavior, driving us to move into action. When we understand our own Motivators (and even the Motivators of those around us), we can more effectively navigate challenges and recognize the causes of conflict.
Acumen allows us to truly understand how we analyze and interpret our experiences. The stronger our acumen, the more aware we are of our reality both in our external and internal world. Acumen analyzes our capacity – our capacity to understand others, to navigate practical situations and to discern systems and order.
Competencies are the soft skills we possess that can contribute to our success in our roles. Easily transferable to different jobs, competencies such as personal accountability, self-management and conceptual thinking are valuable for many roles and cannot necessarily be taught.
In a recent study conducted by Target Training International, the research and development team found that serial entrepreneurs were correctly identified 60 percent of the time using just DISC. However, the same study yielded 92 percent accuracy when the team added data from Motivators and Competencies assessments.
The research is clear. Assessments employing multiple sciences allow us to discover the best talent and increase workforce productivity.
via More than just DISC – TTI Success Insights.
