How Can DISC Profile Testing Transform Your People-Forward Transformation?

Are you wondering whether DISC profile testing can really improve your recruitment and retention? Find out all about DISC profile testing here.

Over one million people leverage DISC profile testing tools each year. They are part of what seems to be an insatiable demand for employee testing, from pre-employment testing to culture fit and leadership development. That’s why tools like the MBTI, Harver (OutMatch), Elite, and even the enneagram are popular.

People want in-depth, empathetic insights into themselves and their coworkers. Think of it as a psychological hack or a user’s manual for employees. Rather than wonder if a new employee might fit like oil or water, why not consider their personality type?

We all have such different personalities. While we have a lot in common, now two people are exactly alike. An assertive response might seem rude to one person while another admires the confidence. The line between perfection and nitpicky can be a bit blurry too. Understanding employee styles and personality profiles are key to making sure everyone meshes well. 

This is especially important when forming new teams or adding a new hire to an existing team. At a time when tried-and-true hiring processes are being severely tested, why not take advantage of all the talent management tools in your arsenal? That’s why we’ve assembled a guide to DISC profile testing and how it transforms your people-forward processes.

What is DISC Profile Testing?

We’re all obsessed with personality profiles. Stories like Harry Potter, where children are divided into categories like Slytherin or Ravenclaw, have gripped our collective consciousness. Nearly every successful sitcom in television history includes each of the four behavioral styles represented in the DISC profile.

However, a personality test can tell you so much more than which fictional Hogwarts house you would be sorted into. Instead, they can help you create an accurate employee assessment quickly and see how your new team might get along without months of trial and error.

Let’s say you’re hiring for a new member of your customer service team. The team has worked together for many years but as one member has retired and another moved on, it was time to add new team members. An employee’s resume catches the eye of the recruiter and dazzles the hiring manager during the interview. But how will he interact with the fragile dynamics of the team that took years to develop? What personality quirks might enhance or disrupt the team flow.

Making the wrong choice during the hiring process is expensive. It costs money, wastes time, creates conflict, and destroys team morale. 

To avoid hiring the wrong team fit or culture fit, many organizations use the DISC assessment during the hiring process or as part of onboarding.

[READ THIS before using DISC for hiring and job fit.]

What Does DISC Stand For?

DISC is an acronym that describes four personality styles.

D personalities often prioritize Dominance. These types typically comes across as confident because they like to take charge. They are energized by getting results and getting them quickly. Think about the cliche CEO type in a 1990s film. They’re likely a Dominant personality type under this model. 

I personalities are more relationship-oriented. In this model, I stands for Influence. They are energized by interacting and influcecing others. While there are no right or wrong types under the DISC model, I personality types often are selected for client-facing role. They are often inspiring, persuasive, and comfortable walking into a room of strangers. In fact, many I’s see strangers as people they just haven’t met yet.

S stands for Steadiness with the DISC model. Is there someone on your team that is always dependable, keeps their emotions to themselves, and rarely rocks the boat? In some cases, the steady style are the epitome of loyal, team players and may be the glue that holds your team together. 

C stands for conscientiousness. These employees are energized by following the rules and processes, performing quality assurance, and dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. While they often strive for perfection, others might see them as nit-picky. Do you have a co-worker who likes creating Excel sheets, doing data entry, and and strives for perfection. You may have a C personality type on your team.

DISC and Hiring Processes

Should you use DISC as the make-or-break tool for hiring? To answer this question, consider the main point of using a DISC profile.

It should be used as a tool to explore team fit and if the candidate is hired, help him or her in self-development. After all, self-aware employees who know their flaws and strengths are powerful assets. You could argue that many workplace interpersonal issues stem from a lack of self-awareness. 

That being said, investing in someone’s development is what employers do, at least should do. It’s what you do to ensure that someone’s career flourishes, their performance improves, and their value increases. And in today’s era of massive resignations and search for flexibility, helping your employees reach their full potential becomes a retention tool too.

DISC is a great way to help your employees spread their wings and soar and offers mentors and coaches a user’s guide. 

But like most things, it’s important to read the “warning” label attached to DISC profiles. While DISC is a popular and valid tool, it was never designed to predict job skills or job fit. If that was the case, every assertive (D), outgoing (I) candidate would become a top-performingl salesperson and every steady (S), compliant © person would turn out to be a an accounting whiz! But we know for sure that’s not the case. DISC merely assesses HOW energetically an individual will respond toward problems, people, pace, and procedures.  It was not constructed to predict how proficient that same person might be at solving problems, interacting with people, working at a fast pace, or complying with rules and procedures.

You can learn about why DISC Profile Doesn’t Work for Employee Screening here.

Nevertheless, compatibility with a manager or co-workers is often cited as the reason employees quit their jobs. That makes DISC profile testing an excellent opportunity to nip a conflict in the bud or give a manager a better sense of how to mentor and coach the new hire and the team. Used in the way it was intended makes DISC quite a valuable tool … as long as it’s not the one and only tool you use.

Benefits of DISC Profile Testing

One of the benefits of DISC profile testing is that it helps cultivate self-awareness. Some people are naturally self-aware and growth mindset, while others may chose to dismiss their faults and exaggerate their strengths.
Being able to cultivate this sense of self is a great way to invest in your employees. Often, a personality test can serve as a lightbulb moment for many employees.
Self-awareness doesn’t just stop at team-building and personal growth. Did you ever think about how you respond to stress, change, and adversity? Job stress and burnout are at all-time highs and much of the reason falls back on people saying “I’m just not wired that way.” Well, guess what. Change and stress are a natural part of living and we all just need to learn to adapt better to the options we’re given. While DISC isn’t the end-all-and-be-all of adaptability assessments, it does offer employees the confidence to take that first step, self-awareness.

Being able to understand how you get stressed out, what motivates you, and what helps you ‘get in the zone’ offers the added benefit to employers of increased productivity, higher morale, and less turnover.

DISC Profile Testing

There are many tools available to create holistic employee profiles. When you start investing in someone as a person, you reap the rewards of how they behave as an employee. 

Many employees don’t invest in their company because they feel disposable. After all, if a company won’t invest in them, why should they? 

When you leverage DISC profile testing, you empower people with the ability to cultivate self-awareness, increase productivity, engineer their own motivation, and improve their responses to stress. 

If you’re looking to boost your company’s emotional intelligence and administer DISC profile testing, contact us today! We can help.

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