What is DISC?

This article gives a general overview of the DISC assessment, including a description of each of the four quadrants (D, I, S, and C).

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Written by Team
Updated over a week ago

The DISC assessment measures how one responds to favorable and unfavorable environments. It is centered around behavioral tendencies and can be very easily applied in the work setting.

Note: Some resources in this article refer to C as "Compliance", our updated and preferred language for C is "Conscientiousness".

ANTAGONISTIC ENVIRONMENTS

D - Dominance: Measures one's relative initiative with problems, with a high scoring D having high initiative in the face of problems, and a low scoring D displaying low initiative.

C - Conscientiousness: Measures one's relative acceptance of procedures, rules, or guidelines with a high scoring C being very accepting of procedures and a low scoring C being prone to reject procedures.

FAVORABLE ENVIRONMENTS

I - Influence: Measures one's relative initiative with people, with a high scoring I showing high initiative with people, and a low scoring I showing low initiative with people.

S - Steadiness: Measures one's relative comfort with changes of pace, with a high scoring S having a low comfort with changes of pace, and a low scoring S being highly comfortable with changes.

DISC MOTIVATION

To motivate others, it is important that we know their behavior and desires, and what they need to be successful. People scoring high in the various dimensions may be successfully motivated in the following ways. While these lists are not exhaustive nor prescriptive, use them selectively in light of the facts in each specific case.

DISC LIMITATIONS

Possible limitations may arise in the workplace if an individuals characteristics are taken to the extreme. All individuals are susceptible to acting differently in different situations. It is important for everyone to know these possible limitations, about ourselves and co-workers, and to be prepared to cope with them since they tend to surface when they can do the most damage.

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