Back   Leveraging the DISC Personality Assessment for Enhanced Team Building and Staff Development
By Sandy Stiltz

HR leaders know that successful teams don't just happen. They're built through a deep understanding of how people interact and work together. To reduce the learning curve and gain actionable insights, many turn to the DISC Personality Assessment. This powerful tool helps decode individual behavioral styles, making it easier to foster effective teamwork and elevate performance. With DISC, managers can strategically build cohesive teams, develop staff competencies, and drive organizational success.

Understanding the DISC Model

The DISC model categorizes behavioral tendencies into four primary styles: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S), and Conscientiousness (C). Each style embodies distinct characteristics:

  • Dominance (D): Results-focused, assertive, decisive, confident, direct, competitive, risk taker
  • Influence (I): Sociable, optimistic, enthusiastic, outgoing, relationship-oriented, persuasive, good communicator, people oriented, enjoys building connections with others
  • Steadiness (S): Patient, cooperative, dependable, calm, supportive, prefers stability, values harmony, reliable, team oriented, listens actively
  • Conscientiousness (C): Detail-oriented, analytical, precise, quality-focused, organized, rule-abiding, produces high-quality work, values accuracy

By assessing where individuals fall within these categories, managers can gain a better understanding of their team's behavioral dynamics.

DISC pie graph image dividing the pie by the candidates scores in each DISC Category.

Benefits of Implementing DISC for Team-Building

Utilizing the DISC assessment can create several benefits for teams:

    Group of people participating in a team activity
  • Improved Collaboration: Understanding and appreciating diverse behavioral styles fosters a culture of mutual respect and teamwork.
  • Increased Productivity: Aligning tasks and responsibilities with individual strengths leads to more efficient workflows and heightened productivity.
  • Enhanced Employee Satisfaction: Employees who feel understood and valued are more likely to exhibit higher job satisfaction and commitment.

Benefits of DISC for Staff Development

Beyond team building, the DISC assessment is fundamental to individual staff development:

    Group of people participating in a team activity
  • Personalized Development Plans: Insights from DISC profiles allow for the creation of more personalized and tailored development strategies. Strategies that align better with each employee's natural tendencies and areas for growth.
  • Enhanced Self-Awareness: Employees gain a deeper understanding of their behavioral styles, leading to increased self-awareness and proactive engagement in their professional development.
  • Targeted Skill Enhancement: Identifying specific behavioral traits allows for focused training initiatives that address particular competencies, thereby enhancing overall performance.

Utilizing DISC for Team Building

Integrating the DISC assessment into team-building initiatives enables managers to:

  • Enhance Communication: Recognizing the diverse communication preferences associated with each DISC style allows managers to tailor their messaging, thereby reducing misunderstandings and fostering a more collaborative environment.
  • Create Effective Teams: By understanding the behavioral strengths of team members, managers can assemble balanced teams where diverse styles complement each other, leading to improved problem-solving and innovation. Alternatively, they can create teams best suited to the organization's specific culture and goals.
  • Resolve Conflicts Effectively: Awareness of the underlying motivations and stressors of different DISC profiles equips managers with the tools to mediate disputes and address tensions proactively.

HR Avatar's DISC Assessment

HR Avatar's DISC Assessment provides everything you need to build your team and develop your employees. Every assessment taken includes a feedback report (for the test taker) and a manager report.

The feedback report provides the following insights:

  • Breakdown of the test taker's score
  • Summary of each DISC style
  • In depth guide to their top style(s)
  • Insight on how each DISC style works on a team and how the test taker's DISC style best works with each DISC style
  • Explanation of what DISC assessments are and the history of DISC

The manager report provides the following insights:

  • Breakdown of the test taker's score
  • Summary of each DISC style
  • In depth guide to the test taker's top style(s)
  • How to lead and work with an employee with that style
  • Explanation of what DISC assessments are and the history of DISC
  • Key actions to take with the DISC assessment results
  • Examples of team building activities
  • How to build a team using DISC

HR Avatar also provides the option for you to run a GROUP Report. The group report provides the following insights:

    Pie graph for Group Report showing distribution of DISC personality styles among the group.
  • Breakdown of the entire group's scores
  • Summary of each DISC style
  • All the individual scores listed out and grouped first by style and then by name
  • Explanation of what DISC assessments are and the history of DISC
  • Insight on how each DISC style works on a team and how each test takers' DISC style best works with each DISC style
  • Key actions to take with the DISC assessment results
  • Examples of team building activities
  • How to build a team using DISC

To see examples of each report, please use the following links:


Conclusion

Incorporating the DISC Personality Assessment into managerial practices offers a structured approach to understanding and leveraging individual differences within a team. By embracing the DISC model, managers can cultivate an environment that promotes effective communication, targeted staff development, and strong team cohesion, ultimately driving organizational excellence.

References

Marston, W. M. (2013). Emotions of normal people. Routledge. Merenda, P. F.

Clarke, W. V. (1965). Self description and personality measurement. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 21(1)

Cloverleaf. (n.d.). How To Use DISC In The Workplace To Strengthen Performance: A Leader's Guide. Retrieved from https://cloverleaf.me/blog/disc-in-the-workplace/

LinkedIn. (n.d.). How to Use the DiSC Model for Team Building. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/advice/0/how-can-you-use-disc-personality-assessment-model

Beedu, G. K. (2021). A Study on the Effectiveness of DISC Personality Test. Selinus University. Retrieved from https://www.uniselinus.education/sites/default/files/2021-07/Tesi%20Beedu.pdf