The need for DISC training in modern organisations
Everyone has their own unique set of traits and characteristics. These show how an individual behaves makes decisions in various situations, and communicates with others. Personality frameworks such as DISC essentially help us understand how these traits and characteristics influence personality, with the aim of helping us to understand ourselves and others better.
DISC is a tool for measuring the dimensions of a person’s personality. It doesn’t measure aptitude, intelligence, mental health, or values. It essentially describes human behaviour in various situations. DISC personality assessment, when combined with DISC training, can be helpful in organisations, helping teams communicate and collaborate better.
It can be quite confusing what DISC is all about. In this post, we’ll explain everything you need to know about DISC training and Certification, and how it can be used to help us understand ourselves and improve our interactions.
What is DISC training?
DISC training is simply the set of tools aimed at helping team members understand the language of DISC styles, and utilise it in meaningful, positive, and productive ways. DISC training allows team members to better understand their colleagues, collaborate more effectively, communicate better, and resolve conflict easily.
DISC Training is based on the DISC model, which is a personal assessment tool developed by the Everything DISC Brand. When you take a DISC assessment, you will have to answer some questions based on how you relate to each trait. Your answers will essentially determine your personality type and place you on the DISC model.
The DISC model categorises behavioural and personality traits into four main dimensions: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. Each of these dimensions represents a set of behavioural characteristics that individuals exhibit to varying degrees.
Dominance: Individuals with high dominance scores are generally assertive, decisive, and results-oriented. They thrive on challenges and are driven to take charge and achieve goals.
Influence: Those with a high score in influence are generally sociable, outgoing, and persuasive. They excel in building relationships, motivating others, and sparking enthusiasm.
Steadiness: Individuals strong in steadiness are generally known for their reliability, patience, and supportive nature. They value stability, consistency, and teamwork, often serving as calming influences within a group.
Conscientiousness: Those who exhibit high conscientiousness are detail-oriented, analytical, and systematic. They excel in planning, organising, and ensuring accuracy and precision in their work.
Benefits of DISC training
Most people are a blend of all of these styles in varying degrees; we all use each of the four dimensions in various situations. However, one or two will usually be more dominant or apparent. For this reason, we tend to refer to people based on their most prominent dimensions. For instance, you could say someone is a “High D”.
While no DISC style is better than any other, knowing the most prominent in a person should give us a good idea of how to interact with them. This makes the DISC tool extremely valuable for personal use, leadership, sales, and teams, as well as hiring and recruitment processes.
Learning more about your personality and that of other members of your team will essentially equip you to handle any situation that involves communicating with other people. Through the various DISC training activities, you can learn more about your communication styles, how you will approach different personalities under different scenarios, and a lot more.
Benefits of DISC training
Having a deeper understanding of the DISC personalities in a team can do a lot for the people in an organisation. Organisations that use DISC usually benefit from the following:
Greater self-awareness
Most of us don’t really understand which of our personality traits are best for the overall success of our teams, or at least some of us struggle to put the right ones into use. By learning about DISC, teams uncover the mix of behaviours that give them the best chance of success. This way, individuals can start learning the unique traits they add to the team.
More effective communication
When we understand ourselves and each other better, we adjust how we communicate with others. There’s a higher chance that we will be heard and a lesser chance that we will trigger a negative reaction. For instance, reaching a consensus might be a priority for a (I) compared to a (C), while a (D) will prefer to be aware of their action items as soon as possible.
Understanding each others’ motivations
Suppose you present an idea to your team and everyone seems to be on board, apart from one person. You may struggle to understand why they’re so hard-pressed to oppose you. Maybe they feel the idea is based on invalid information or they think the idea is too ambiguous to execute. DISC could help you understand the motivations of your teammates, including their fears and comfort zones.
Better conflict management
According to Frances Kelleher Coaching, in most organisations, conflict often stems from the diverse needs of the four DISC dimensions. Dome dimensions prefer action or stability, while for others this is reversed. The same goes for things like accuracy and action. Understanding DISC personalities will make it easier to manage conflict.
Bottom line
All in all, when a person feels understood, they naturally tend to respond better in any kind of situation. Using tools like DISC to better understand teammates, clients, and employees can result in an overall increase in productivity, teamwork, satisfaction, and success of your organisation.
