Why DISC Profile Doesn't Work For Employee Screening
Why DISC Profile Doesn’t Work For Employee Screening
There are several reasons why a DISC assessment test doesn’t work for your employee screening process.
Before I dive into those reasons, let me first address a few of the reasons why so many employers do select DISC as their pre-employment test of choice for the employee screening process.
First of all, the DISC profile has been around a long, long time. While the acronym DISC was adopted sometime in the mid-twentieth century, the four-style behavioral model was first described by Hippocrates somewhere around 400 B.C. If longevity has anything to do with credibility, the DISC assessment test certainly has time on its side and centuries of endorsement.
Another reason is that the DISC assessment test is also one of the most user-friendly assessments available. Most DISC assessments require only 10 to 15 minutes to complete, the questions are very easy to understand, and face validity (which means the participant agrees with the results of the assessment) is extremely high. And while fees vary widely, the cost is generally below $100, oftentimes significantly less.
By now, it should be fairly obvious why DISC is so popular – user-friendly, high credibility, low-cost. All those reasons sound pretty good, don’t they? Then why am I saying that DISC doesn’t work for the employee screening process?
There are many reasons. Let me start with three.
Validation.
This reason is a big one- one that concerns HR and employment law attorneys. While the DISC assessment test itself is valid (it accurately measures what it says it measures), DISC profile is not a valid tool for job success. If that was the case, every assertive, outgoing individual would be a successful salesperson and every steady, compliant person would turn out to be a very successful accountant. 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.
Observation.
DISC is an “observable language.” Each style (D-I-S-C) is easily observed by others when the other person(s) know what to look for. Ds and Is tend to be very animated; Ss and Cs more reserved. Is and Ss are more people-oriented; Ds and Cs are task-focused. Is and Ss should be “good with people.” But we know that isn’t always so. People make assumptions about performance based on behavioral style. But as the research about successful hiring and the employee screening process shows, the behavior you see might not be a predictor of the results you get. Five-factor personality tests and cognitive ability tests are much better predictors of future job fit and skill potential than behavior style assessments like DISC and temperament assessments like MBTI. And that’s not only my opinion but the caveat offered by many of the DISC and MBTI publishers.
Norming.
DISC assessments are considered ipsative tests. The preferred type of test for the employee screening process is a normed test. Like hundreds of other assessments based on the four style behavioral model, DISC reports the relative strengths of the person being tested. If a DISC assessment test reports the individual is 75% “high D”, this merely means this individual is energized by asserting him/herself in dealing with problems. What it does not predict is how two people with similar DISC patterns will perform a job or interact with others. In plain English, two people who both “score” 70% in the D Style might appear to approach the same problem in a similar way but get two entirely different outcomes. Using normative tests, an individual’s “score” measures a specific characteristic against confirmed patterns of normality, usually represented as a bell curve. In business, normative testing allows individuals to be compared to other employees who have met with success or failure in a job.
Normative tests (like Big5, Elite, and Harver) are therefore best suited as a recruitment and selection instrument. They can be also useful in development, coaching, and training. By using normative tests when screening employees, managers can select candidates who will have the best chances of success if hired or promoted and avoid placing the wrong employee in the wrong position.
Note: I do recommend on occasion using DISC profile for employee screening and selection. While I mentioned DISC is not a good predictor of job skills, it is a powerful assessment for predicting HOW a candidate will interact with other people and approach a project. By using DISC in conjunction with five-factor personality tests, managers can predict both job fit and team (people) fit with accuracy. When selecting the right pre-employment test for your organization, the best choice is not a case of either-or. If DISC is used for hiring employees, use it in conjunction with other hiring tools…or not at all.
Click here for more information about ipsative and normative tests.
Ira, great post. I love Disc but would never use it to hire people yet know dozens of people who do. Your post reminded me that not all people who, for instance, love strawberry ice cream, may not be good at making ice cream. Yet I fear that this reinforces organizations that have a certain type of people in certain roles which only reinforces the rigidity within them. Thanks again for the great post.
I honestly can’t understand how people aren’t more sceptic towards DISC tests. Personally I can’t answer questions for a DISC test since in real life, I will adapt my behaviour based on the whole situation and context (my stress-level, my confidence level, my knowhow etc.). The whole concept of DISC is lacking nuances in their questions and possibilities of answers. Usually when I get a question, I can agree with 2 and sometimes 3 of the answers given, based on situation and context.
I can’t even say that I am 25%/25%/25%/25% DISC, since sometimes I will be 80%/10%/5%/5% other times I will be 5%/85%/5%/5%
So this behaviour tool certainly do not fit on me.
Remi- thanks for your comments. Your concern does not fall on deaf ears. When responding to the questions, you should have one context in mind – working, play, vacation, or even doing aspect of your job. You’re absolutely right when you say your behavior changes…or could change. HOWEVER, the best DISC model differentiates between adapted behavior (how you respond to different situations) and your primary natural style – your preferred style, your hard-wired behavior. When answering questions there are 2 algorithms at work – 1 measures the primary style, the other adapted. The adapted should change based on how you see yourself best approaching the situation. The primary is your true self and is quite stable over time. Give it another look and make sure you complete a DISC assessment like Proception2 that uses 2 graphs.
Your behaviour is also very dependent on the surrounding culture. Even if I prefer to be (S) and work as a team and take slow bulletproof discissions based on (C), I will become absolutely (D) if I’m stressed out with tasks and placed in a competitor culture business.
I don’t really believe in a “core behaviour” since I adapt to my relationships, the culture and what ever social system this culture is being formed by. Even when playing sports, playing strategic teamsports requires me to be Sc/Cs but playing a fast pace high stress teamsport requires me to be be Ds or /Sd.
I’m still not convinced by your answer Ira, but thanks for trying.
And I very much enjoy playing both strategic and fast pace stress sports. I also love making art and bringing new ideas to the table. I enjoy very much being alone (and working alone) and I also enjoy being social (and working in teams), so I’m the ambivert type of person.
So I still can’t figure out where I will fit in on a DISC.
Remi – you’ve made a great case for adapting behavior. But denying that we have a “core behavior,” preferred style, a hard-wired personality, or whatever you want to call it doesn’t make it so. You seem exceptionally smart with highly developed emotional intelligence. That’s not the case for the vast majority of the population who don’t adapt to the situation or even recognize the need to adapt. Example: nearly every conversation about this resorts to what do I think about StrengthFinder. Great tool and insight until people just rely on those 5 or 6 strengths and don’t feel the need to adapt. That’s when everything looks like a nail because you’re good at swinging a hammer. In your case distinguishing between core and adapted behavior may be a moot point. For most people, it’s a critical distinction and trying to get them to understand they need to adapt with agility is not so readily accepted as when, “Why do I always have to be the one who adapts?”
I see your point and I agree that not all adapts like this and that most people probably has some core/preference behaviour. My issue in the meanwhile with DISC is, when ever I am obligated to take the DISC test, the test results keep shifting which is confusing for me and also confusing for the people trying to recruit me once I try to explain my self like I have been trying here).
Maybe I’m just a little more crazy than the average, since I don’t have this static behaviour 🙂 I’ll try give you some examples of how “I’m wired”:
I really love routines/rituals, systems/patterns and using knowledge and analytical tools, but in the same time I hate it and really just enjoy being impulsive and free of worries, just letting go of control and the “anxiety” that comes along with ‘C’ because ‘C’ is scared of the unknown and thinking outside the comfortable box (IC/CI conflict)
And – I love competition and I love fast results but I would never achieve a goal if it required lack of ethics and ruthlessness towards others – If I’m in a team and someone is slowing down the process towards the goal, I would never consider replacing the person unless it’s “life and death”, then I would instead try to help improve this persons resources to lift his potential (I see this as a DS conflict).
Just to mention some DISC conflicts that I have when I’m trying to figure out where my “core” is – I’m always in conflict with my inner DISC 🙂