Most common disc personality type


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The DISC Personality types originate from the work of Carl G Jung and William Moulton Marston, who identified four primary personality types that correspond to different behavioural responses. The main characteristic of each disc profile type is used as a representative word for that type.  

The DISC personality profile descriptions are:

  • D (Dominance)
  • I (Influence)
  • S (Steadiness)
  • C (Compliance)

When placed on two overlapping axes, the disc personality types form four DISC quadrants. 

Four-Quadrant Model

Carl G. Jung proposed four primary functions of consciousness, and each created a behavioural axis.

  1. Sensing - Intuition
  2. Thinking - Feeling

Jung's work formed the basis of the four-quadrant model later developed by Marston. By placing the two axes at right angles, four quadrants form. Each describes a behavioural pattern, which we refer to as the four DISC personality types.

What is Personality Profiling?

Personality profiling, commonly called psychometric testing or a disc personality test, is a means of measuring an individual's personality in a workplace setting. The personality profile measures your behavioural tendencies and identifies your DISC type. It is not a measure of intelligence or ability – but of your natural behavioural preferences.

When you receive an invitation to complete an online DISC assessment, you will answer 24 questions about your behaviour. This questionnaire is forced-choice, meaning you need to select which word describes you most and which describes you least.

Personality profile questionnaires are designed to seek out information about an employees decision-making style, communication style and general behavioural response toward work. The information in the personality profile is instrumental in placing people in the right roles that suit their behavioural strengths.

Organisations have used personality profiling in a variety of business applications for over 30 years! It's still just as popular today and used in many leadership, sales and team training courses. The DISC profile is a proven way of describing and analysing an individual's natural reaction mode to the stimuli in the environment.

How to Determine your DISC personality?

The most reliable way to determine your DISC personality type is to take a questionnaire. The Extended DISC Assessment takes less than 10 minutes to complete and will produce your report instantly. The assessment plots your location on the DISC quadrant and describes how you may come across to others in the workplace. In comparison to other DISC tools, Extended DISC reports on 160 different disc assessment types. The disc assessment results are more personalised and unique to who you really are rather than putting you in one of only 4 disc personality types.

With lots of training and practice, you can also learn to speed read others' DISC personality types, using a simple three-step process, called OAR. OAR is an acronym that represents the three steps, Observe, Assess and Recognise. As you become more accustomed to the DISC Personality Types, you will find it more natural to identify the styles of others. You will think to yourself 'she's an I style' or 'he's a C style. ' As with most skills, learning the OAR process takes practice and concentration. 

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What is the Best DISC Personality Type?

It's tempting to believe that there is one personality type that is better than the rest. However, the truth is that none of the DISC personality types is better or worse than the other. The DISC personality theory does not have any good/bad categories, making it a behavioural inventory, not a test that one can pass or fail.

We can all exhibit behaviours from all four disc quadrants and disc profile types. However, some of these behaviours will come naturally to us with very little concentration or effort required. Whereas, other behaviours will require a lot more energy and focus. 

Understanding your DISC personality type will help you recognise which jobs are naturally suited to your style and which roles may require more effort and concentration from you. Knowing your DISC personality will also help your manager to understand your ideal working environment and whether you need lots of instruction or to be left alone to work independently.

The DISC personality types each have their unique strengths and areas in which they naturally excel. They also have development areas, which are areas they need to focus on to achieve. For example, a D style person needs to make a conscious effort to focus on lots of information and details as this is not something that comes naturally to them. As a result, they will consume a large amount of energy adapting to this behaviour. 

Your DISC Personality type does not limit you in any way. It merely helps you understand what behaviours will take energy and which come naturally to you.

What DISC Personality Makes the Best Leader?

Wouldn't it be easy if there was one! We could continuously hire that DISC personality across all organisations, knowing that they would always succeed in their role. Unfortunately, the answer here is no. There is not an ideal DISC leadership personality type that is better than the others. 

Leaders come from all four disc quadrants and each leader has their unique disc assessment type, strengths, and development areas. Some areas of leadership will come naturally to them, whereas they will need to apply lots of concentration and effort in other areas. 

  • D styles are task-orientated leaders. Their authoritative leadership style is based on power, results and distance. They are decisive and tend to make quick decisions. They perform well in a crisis. 
  • I styles are people-focused and the most social of leaders. Their authority is based on charisma and motivation. As a leader, they tend to create a positive, relaxed and comfortable atmosphere. 
  • S styles are steady and sincere leaders. They are cool, calm, and collected. The S styles authority is based on experience, expertise and bureaucratic status. They are comfortable in maintaining routines and are generally very service orientated. 
  • C Styles are slower-paced than other personality types. They are deep thinkers and usually more serious than other DISC personality types. C styles authority is based on rules, standards and quality. They make sure all team members know what is expected of them.

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What is the most common DISC personality?

According to the 2019 Extended DISC validation study, the S personality type is the most common DISC style at a global level. Dominant S styles make up 32% of the worldwide population. In Australia, the most common DISC personality type is also an S style, they contribute to 35% of the population.

However, the frequency of DISC styles changes between countries. For example, in  Germany, the most common DISC profile is the I personality type, whereas, in Brazil, the most common DISC personality type is the C style.

What is the rarest DISC personality?

The rarest DISC profile is the D style, making up only 9% of the global population. This appears to be the trend across all countries, as illustrated in the Extended DISC 2019 Validation Study. 

Myanmar is the exception, in which D and S styles are equally the rarest DISC profiles.

DISC personality types and careers

Understanding your DISC personality type will help you recognise which careers are naturally suited to your style and which roles may require more effort and concentration from you. Matching your DISC profile type to a career will help you find a work environment that suits you.

Recognising your strengths, challenges and development areas can expand your career opportunities and make you more valuable to your organisation. Receiving your DISC results can help you avoid wasting years in the wrong role or the wrong profession. DISC personality profiles can also help discover engaging career paths you never considered. Understanding your preferred job content and environment can help enhance your job satisfaction and overall well-being.

DISC personality types vs. Myer Briggs

Both DISC and MBTI are profiling tools that provide insight into personality and behaviour. Both tools are respected and used by individuals and organisations globally. However, there are a few notable differences between Extended DISC® and MBTI:

  • The Extended DISC® questionnaire is typically 24 questions, taking only 8-10 minutes to complete. Compared to MBTI, which has up to 90 questions and takes significantly longer to answer.
  • Extended DISC® analyses a person's conscious and unconscious behaviour, which allows you to look at who the person really is as opposed to who they think they are. Whereas MBTI focuses only on the conscious style.
  • Extended DISC® measures 160 different behavioural styles allowing for much deeper analysis into a person's true behavioural style. The MBTI tool analyses 16 different styles.

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What Are DISC Personality Types? 4 Types & 12 Styles

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Have you ever wondered why DiSC personality traits are so frequently used in the modern workplace industry?

The reason is that the DISC assessment allows employers to measure whether and to what degree their employees match the demands of the job.

As a result, they can predict how the employees can adapt to the company environment, follow the rules and deal with challenges.

DISC model personality types are one of the most common assessment instruments for understanding people and their personalities.

The tool consists of four major personality traits (Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness) and is used by millions of companies around the world.

In this article, you’ll learn what DISC personality styles are and why using the DISC personality test is so important. We’ll also provide examples for each predominant personality style of DISC.

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What Are DISC Personality Types? Definition

The DISC profile is a behavioral model first created by psychologist William Moulton Marston in 1928.

The author first introduced the classification of these four personality types in his book, Emotions Of Normal People.

“DISC” is an acronym for four basic personality traits: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness.

Based on these personality signs, the DISC instrument assesses the differentiation among styles and how a person uses these traits to work with others.

The personality styles of DISC generally take the form of a circular or graph.

However, whether it’s the DISC circular or DISC graph, the main purpose of this tool is to identify how a person responds to certain situations, what their dominant personality traits are, and how this can influence their performance either at work, in school, or other areas of life.

Most importantly, DISC models focus on behavior instead of intelligence, basic values, skills, or psychological well-being.

Therefore, regardless of a person’s background and knowledge, employers use the information received from this tool to determine how well their employees can communicate with each other and predict their behavior patterns in the working process.

These are the four key personality traits of DISC:

Dominance – This personality trait is related to power, control, and assertiveness. Dominant people tend to be direct, fast-paced, and strong-willed.
Influence – This personality trait is related to communication patterns during social interaction. Influential people tend to be sociable, accepting, and easy-going.
Steadiness – This personality trait is related to persistence, willpower, and patience. Steady people tend to be gentle, patient, and accommodating.
Conscientiousness – This personality trait is related to structure, organization, and dedication. Conscientious people tend to be analytical, skeptical, and logical.

Based on the answers people give in the DISC test, employers can find out their personality traits and possible behaviors that are expected from this person in particular situations.

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What is the DISC Personality Test?

The DiSC personality test is one of the most popular personality assessment instruments in the workplace all over the world.

The DiSC measurement scales are designed to quickly determine the personality profile and major personality traits.

The main purpose of DiSC tests is to explain and predict individuals’ behavior in order to improve communication, productivity, and teamwork in the workplace environment.

Generally, DiSC personality tests are conducted online. You just need to fill out the questionnaire to determine your exact personality profile.

The test consists of 28 groups of four statements. The entire process of filling out the instrument usually takes 5 to 10 minutes.

Studies show that the DiSC assessment is an effective way to raise self-awareness and improve teamwork skills in employees.

Besides, organizations use DiSC profiles to train their employees without judgment, help them develop stronger sales skills, and solve problems productively.

Type D: Dominance (Meaning & Subtypes)

Type D from DISC stands for Dominance. People with the dominance (D) personality type can be task-oriented, strong-willed, and outgoing.

Generally, people with this personality type are independent individuals who aren’t afraid of taking risks.

They are willing to accept new challenges and easily manage to perform multiple tasks in stressful working situations.

Therefore, the faster-paced work environment is extremely suitable for them.

On the other hand, employees with the Dominance personality trait often struggle to keep an eye on details.

They are rather impatient and find it hard to include other people in their decision-making process. As a result, they prefer to work on their own instead of working in teams.

DI: Dominance and influence

DI style (Dominance & Influence) is one of the most common styles of DISC personality traits.

People with a DI-type personality tend to have an innovative approach to life. As a result, they usually use their creativity in the workplace to solve complex problems and find original solutions.

DI personalities are also called achievers or seekers.

Unlike the D type, the combination of dominance and influence creates a more adaptive style, enabling people to work efficiently in teams.

Even though people with these personality traits aren’t completely analytical, they are flexible, which makes them eager to try new experiences.

Thus, employees with a DI profile also tend to prefer working in a faster-paced work environment where they can show off their creativity and imagination.

DC: Dominance and conscientiousness

The DC-style (dominance and conscientiousness) is another variation of the D personality type. However, this time, it’s influenced by C (conscientiousness).

People with this personality type tend to be perfectionists. They put all their effort into achieving better success than people expected from them.

They are eager to take leadership roles while working in a team and stand out from all the other employees.

DC personalities just can’t work in routine environments. They enjoy challenges and are in search of exploring all the possibilities available.

Therefore, a slower-paced work environment isn’t something suitable for them. Instead, they prefer to create their own schedule and get all the work done at their own pace.

Type I: Influence (Meaning & Subtypes)

Type I stands for Influence and expresses behavioral styles during social interactions.

People with the I personality type are known as sociable and energetic individuals whose actions are guided by assertiveness.

I personalities are naturally outgoing, extroverted, and affectionate employees who enjoy working in teams and communicating with other people in the workplace.

They can easily notice positive things, even in difficult situations, and express warm feelings in order to help other people perform better.

Generally, the I (influence) type can’t concentrate on consistent routines. Traditional environments make them lose enthusiasm and motivation.

However, they can perform well in changing working situations where one can’t possibly predict the situation in advance.

ID: Influence and dominance

ID personality (influence and dominance) has the prevalent influence style (I) but is impacted by dominance (D).

They usually work hard in teams and try to help the company achieve success, but they aren’t motivated by genuine feelings.

Instead, DI personalities have extrinsic motivation, which means that they try to get things done in order to receive some specific rewards.

Whether it’s material rewards or appreciation from their co-workers, it makes ID types stay engaged.

Employees with an ID style can easily thrive even in challenging working environments as they are passionate about working hard and achieving their goals.

Besides, they are eager to motivate other team members because, in that way, achieving the collective goals is much easier and more effective.

IS: Influence and steadiness

IS style is a combination of influence and steadiness. Here as well, Influence is the predominant style that leads people to success and dedication.

IS personalities constantly try to step up to the career leader and get promotions as quickly as possible.

They are work-oriented, enthusiastic employees who find harmony among their co-workers as something valuable.

Having friendly and supportive relationships with their co-workers is a priority for IS personalities.

Even though they usually focus on maintaining harmony, they hate routine tasks and prefer to have the chance of growth and development.

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Type S: Steadiness (Meaning & Subtypes)

Based on the Extended DISC validation study (2019), type S (steadiness) is the most prominent style worldwide of all DiSC types.

Specifically, 32% of the worldwide population tends to have a steady personality type.

People with type S personalities are oriented towards other individuals.

They feel comfortable while working in a slower-paced work environment and struggle to deal with challenges and unexpected problems.

However, their advantage as employees is that they can look at things from different perspectives and evaluate the problem from various angles.

Generally, people with the S style find it hard to concentrate in emotional and stressful environments.

SI: Steadiness and influence

SI style consists of steadiness (S) with influence (I). Individuals with this DISC style tend to be supportive, empathetic, and understanding.

They are oriented towards people and enjoy helping others, even when it might slow down their progress.

Teamwork is something desirable for them, and engaging the team is one of the most desirable activities for SI personalities.

People with steadiness and influence personality traits are great listeners. They are motivated to help people solve their problems, but still, they can easily manage to achieve success on their own.

SI personalities make great charismatic leaders as they are enthusiastic about taking care of others’ needs.

SC: Steadiness and conscientiousness

SC personality type is a combination of prevalent steadiness (S), which is influenced by the conscientiousness (C) trait.

These two DISC personality traits create pragmatic, analytical individuals that can rationally consider all available alternatives before making final decisions.

They are practical, logical, and task-oriented people who can work well in traditional working environments.

SC personalities are focused on finding rational solutions to complex problems. They enjoy following guidelines and having a certain routine throughout the working day.

However, working in teams isn’t something for them. They have rather weak communication skills and prefer to work on their own.

Type C: Conscientiousness (Meaning & Subtypes)

Type C stands for conscientiousness. People with C personality types are highly organized, detail-oriented individuals who try to thrive in whatever they do.

They always do their best to achieve success. However, C personalities still manage to maintain rationality rather than being driven by emotions.

In simple words, people with conscientiousness DISC style tend to be perfectionists. They are focused on all the available data and try to be as accurate as possible.

They’re sincere, honest individuals with a pure motivation to succeed. They easily achieve their goals in a slower-paced work environment.

CD: Conscientiousness and dominance

CD personality type consists of conscientiousness (C) and dominance (D). Employees with this behavioral style enjoy working at their own pace.

As a result, they can’t always handle multiple tasks at the same time. CD personalities tend to be overly assertive and organized in the workplace.

Due to their organizational skills, CD types make great managers.

Conscientiousness and dominance personality traits help people with this behavioral style be extremely rational and remove all emotions while making decisions.

However, they often struggle to have clear and understanding interactions with their co-workers and often feel detached from them.

CS: Conscientiousness and steadiness

CS personality has a prevalent conscientiousness style (C) which is influenced by steadiness (S).

Employees with these two personality traits are described as responsible, reliable, and accountable individuals who prefer working in routine environments.

They are rather dependent types who prefer working with other people, but in communication, they tend to be shy and appear introverted.

CS personalities feel comfortable when managers give them tasks without asking any questions.

They ideally work at their pace, but only if someone gives them the right instructions. They easily manage to follow guidelines and consider the demands.

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Examples for Each of 12 DISC Personality Styles

Each of the 12 DISC personality types differs from each other with specific behavioral styles in certain situations.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that although certain personality types have a tendency to behave in some ways, each individual is unique and might perform different behaviors from people of the same DISC types.

Still, they have more or less the same tendencies.

Let’s take a look at the examples of 12 DISC personality types.

D – results, action, challenge

Goals: Get exact results, overperform, win, compete with others

Fears: To be defeated, to seem weak

Leadership: Taking charge of the team, focusing on results

Career: Lawyer, architect, operations manager

DI – action, results, enthusiasm

Goals: Thriving at work, facing challenges, taking quick actions

Fears: Losing power, being taken advantage of, failing

Leadership: Searching for new possibilities, setting future goals

Career: Art director, public speaker, news reporter

DC – challenge, results, accuracy

Goals: Personal achievements, independence, accuracy, task orientation

Fears: Failure to achieve goals, getting inconsistent results

Leadership: Having high standards, engaging the team members

Career: Attorney, project manager, CEO, finance director

I – enthusiasm, action, collaboration

Goals: Admiration, acceptance, approval, popularity

Fears: Abandonment, blackmailing, rejection

Leadership: Building engaged networks, expressing charisma

Career: Graphic designer, filmmaker, creative director

ID – action, enthusiasm, results

Goals: Progress, advancement, innovative solutions, taking steps forward

Fears: Routine tasks, following fixed rules, lack of attention

Leadership: Looking for opportunities, taking action

Career: Travel agent, copywriter, content creator, CCO

IS – collaboration, enthusiasm, support

Goals: Supporting colleagues, communicating, friendship

Fears: Not being popular, not being appreciated

Leadership: Taking care of team members, expressing emotions

Career: Public relations, minister, teacher, counselor

S – support, stability, collaboration

Goals: Maintaining harmony, keeping balance, adaptation

Fears: Unexpected changes, disappointing people

Leadership: Diplomatic skills, open communication with the team

Career: Therapist, nurse, international relations

SI- collaboration, support, enthusiasm

Goals: Close relationships with people, affirmation, support

Fears: Antagonistic attitude from others, ignorance, hostility

Leadership: Affiliative leadership, praising team members

Career: Human resources manager, primary teacher, psychologist

SC – stability, support, accuracy

Goals: Fast progress, direct objectives, following rules

Fears: Chaos, disorganization, time pressure

Leadership: Compromises, fixed obligations, strict demands

Career: Scientist, data analyst, researcher

C – accuracy, stability, challenge

Goals: Facing challenges, stable outcomes, validity

Fears: Making mistakes, having to show emotions

Leadership: Clear communication, strong discipline, goal orientation

Career: Investment analyst, data analyst, software developer

CD – challenge, accuracy, results

Goals: Rational decisions, reasonable arguments, efficient outcomes

Fears: Losing rationality, failure, lack of success

Leadership: Focused on progress, having high standards

Career: Manager, CFO, social work, psychiatry

CS – stability, accuracy, support

Goals: Reliable relationships, steady results, security

Fears: Uncertainty, emotional burden, ambiguous situations

Leadership: Fair-minded leadership, modesty, fairness

Career: IT director, accountant, bookkeeper, chemist

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Frequently Asked Questions About DISC Personality Types

What is the most common DISC personality type?

The S (Steadiness) type is the most common DISC personality type in the world.

In fact, 32% of the global population tends to be of the S personality type, showing signs of stability, predictability, and friendliness.

What is the rarest DISC personality type?

The D (Dominance) personality type tends to be the least common DISC personality type in the world.

In fact, people with the D personality type represent only 9% of the global population.

Which DISC style works fastest?

The fastest DiSC personality profile tends to be DI (dominance and influence).

Individuals with DI personality types are goal-oriented, practical, and quick employees who prefer to get the work done as quickly as possible.

They are open to new experiences and tend to solve problems quickly and effectively.

What DISC personality do employers want?

IS type tends to be the most highly demanded of the DiSC personality types. IS type is a combination of influence and steadiness, which is something employers are always looking for.

People with an IS personality type usually have an optimistic, easy-going attitude and easily adapt to the working environment.

What DISC style is best for leadership?

D style personality types indeed make the best leaders and managers. The reason is that D personality types have the personality trait of dominance.

They are focused on controlling the environment and getting things done exactly as they are supposed to be.

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It is not so easy to create a dream team where everyone is in their place and can apply their strengths to the benefit of the business. Sometimes there are failures: for example, for some reason, a commercial director is more interested in doing analytics than sales, and a person with the principle “who does not risk does not drink champagne” comes to the position of a lawyer.

DISC typology assessment helps to protect against such hiring mistakes, as well as to place current employees in the positions that are most suitable for them. But how to conduct an assessment correctly, what to do with its results, can you trust free tests on the Internet? What personality types are there and can they change in different circumstances?

We talked about all this with a certified expert in personality profile analysis based on DISC Olga Prozorova.

What do you learn about

👉 What is DISC

👉 What types of personality are

👉 What are the behaviors of each type

👉 What are the mixed personality types

👉 How to determine the type of personality

👉 Is it possible to use free tests from the internet

👉 Where to use DISC

Olga Prozorova, leader of Finance, HR & Operations at Benchmark Executive

What is personality typology DISC

American psychologist William Marston studied types of personality behavior. Back in 1928, he published the book The Emotions of Normal People, in which he outlined the theory of DISC.

DISC is a methodology for studying human behavior based on a four-sector model with two axes:

One axis indicates behavior - active or passive. The other axis identifies the environment as perceived by the person himself. It can be hostile or friendly/favorable.

According to the theory, people want to remain passive or active depending on how they perceive the environment: as friendly or hostile.

Thus, 4 sectors are formed:

  1. Active behavior in an opposing environment (D).
  2. Active behavior in a friendly environment (I).
  3. Passive behavior in a friendly environment (S).
  4. Passive behavior in an opposing environment (C).

It is important to understand that DISC only looks at behavioral styles and does not assess a person's intelligence, emotional intelligence, or job competencies. The evaluation results may change under the influence of external circumstances and factors, as well as over time.

For example, a person moves to another job or company. Then the model of his behavior may change after a while. Therefore, it is worth re-taking DISC at least once a year or when there are significant changes in life - not necessarily professional ones.

Characteristics of personality types

In the DISC methodology, personality types are divided into 4 types: dominance (D), influence (I), stability (S), adaptability (C).

D - dominance (active in a hostile environment)

Such people like to be in a highly competitive environment - they are results-oriented conquerors. These are achievers who are motivated to action by the heated atmosphere around or the competitive environment.

Which roles are most typical for the type: sales, commercial director.

I - influence (active in a friendly environment)

Type I people influence others in a positive way and involve them in processes. They are maximally open to communications and primarily focus on human relationships.

Show active behavior, using the power of persuasion to move from hostile situations to more favorable ones.

Which roles are most typical for the type: HR.

S - Stability (passive actions in a friendly environment)

These people feel comfortable working with well-established processes, in an environment where everything is calm and there are no opposing forces. They are reliable, methodical, executive, stubborn and good-natured - they can be called "worker bees." They strive to maintain neutrality until the hostility in the environment stops.

It is believed that the leader must necessarily be of type D, that is, be a dominator with a strong focus on results. Allegedly otherwise he will not cope with the development of business. But this is not always the case: for example, if a company is associated with a service and is engaged in the provision of services, then its director may be of type S.

What roles are most typical for the type: service department, accounting staff.

C - adaptability (passive actions in a hostile environment)

Type C people work effectively in turbulent environments and adapt quickly to change. But, unlike D, they are cautious, logical, systematic, consistent, law-abiding, accurate.

As a rule, they have an analytical mind. Seek to negate the degree of confrontation and thus avoid problems or conflict.

Which roles are most typical for the type: employees of the operational, analytical and legal departments.

Behavior markers of each type

Mixed personality types

It is not uncommon to find people who exhibit 2 patterns of behavior equally strongly according to the DISC system. Let's talk about these combinations.

DI - ID: red-yellow and yellow-red

One of the common combinations. Such people are inspirers and natural manipulators. They seek to charm, influence others, and lead through personal charisma or persistent persuasion.

This type of person is great at solving complex problems with original and innovative ideas.

IS - SI: yellow-green and green-yellow

This mixed type is quite rare. It is easy to communicate with such people, their distinguishing feature is contact. They treat others with great consideration, warmth and understanding. Comfort, a stable environment, peace and harmony in the team are important to them.

This type of person in the work environment excels in situations where you need to influence and motivate colleagues.

IC - CI: yellow-blue and blue-yellow

Contradictory type that combines opposite features. Such people are distinguished by self-confidence, intolerance and emotionality.

They are self-sufficient in any situation and perfectly motivate others when there are no guides and landmarks.

DS - SD: red-green and green-red

The most complex and rare behavioral type. A distinctive feature in behavior is mood swings and excessive initiative. People like DS - SD develop a stormy activity, while suffering from the syndrome of an excellent student - they believe that they must do the job better than anyone else.

For them, it is important that the task is completed within the agreed time frame with real, measurable results.

How to Determine Your Personality Type

One of the most popular and reliable ways to get a DISC assessment is the Thomas Personality Profile.

Thomas Hendrickson developed this system based on DISC in the middle of the 20th century. Profile analysis of personality allows you to accurately determine the behavior of a person in various areas of life. The report provides insight into intrinsic motivation factors, values, strengths and limitations.

DISC indicates what personality types are and how they are characterized. And the Thomas system is a tool that allows you to determine how these personality types are expressed in a particular person.

I'll tell you step by step how the assessment is done according to the Thomas system.

Step #1: Testing

Testing takes place in an automated mode: the testee answers simple questions for about 10–15 minutes. Based on the results of the answers, a detailed analysis of the personality is carried out, reflected in 3 graphs:

  • self-portrait - behavior in everyday life;
  • behavior at work;
  • behavior in a stressful situation.

Step 2: Graph Analysis

Initially, a person is assessed on a self-portrait (graph III): starting from the highest point, then moving on to the point at the bottom. After that, the readings are compared with the graphs of behavior at work (I) and behavior under pressure (II).

It is especially interesting to compare the data with graph II. In a normal situation, a person is able to control behavior, but in stressful conditions, control weakens - additional factors break out. So on this graph, a point that was not in the self-portrait can clearly appear.

In this case, it is important to evaluate the points in the aggregate - they can compete and interact with each other. For example:

  • if the line from S to C goes up, as in our chart, then this indicates the ability to take risks;
  • collapse of the same line suggests that the subject is prone to independence;
  • if points D and C lie at the same level below, then the person is in a state of procrastination - becomes indecisive in situations where important decisions must be made, and prefers not to move.

The highest point of the graph does not change and is the key one - it is by it that the type of personality's behavior is assessed. On our chart, there is also such a point - in area C. The rest of the points can change their position under the influence of various factors over time. And if two points constantly compete with each other at the top, then we can talk about a mixed personality type.

Particularly interesting are the reference points - those that lie on the graph axis. They set in motion other factors and enhance their manifestation.

Certified experts look at graphs in aggregate, analyze changes in the position of points and the interaction between them.

Step #3: Providing feedback

It is important to provide detailed expert feedback to the person assessed using the DISC methodology, indicating strong type characteristics, concerns, motivators, value to the organization. Feedback is critical: it can be provided by an external consultant or by your own employee if trained in the assessment methodology.

It is not enough to simply tell the subject that he belongs to type D, which is characterized by such and such traits. It is necessary to “land” formal feedback on a real person:

  • highlight the benefits, nuances and risks;
  • tell how this affects his work;
  • suggest options for the development of growth zones.

For example, a modern HR manager needs to work not only with people, but also with analytics. This means that type I alone may not be enough - you need to pump C.

Choose between free online tests or paid consulting services

Free tests can be fun, but don't jump to conclusions based on them. To get detailed reliable information, you will have to go through paid testing through official providers.

It is essential that the provider who will conduct the evaluation not only provide a general opinion, but also be prepared to provide extensive feedback. Often, test subjects and company HRs have questions about why the result is this way and what to do with this information. They look at the graphs and have absolutely no idea how these lines are related to the conclusions.

If you are testing on the knee using free sources on the Internet, and not using external certified providers, then you should not rely too much on the results of the test.

How to apply the methodology at work

To evaluate candidates

The methodology can be used at the final stage of assessing candidates for a vacant position. Let's say you have two applicants for the same role, both of them are suitable in terms of background and skills. In this case, DISC acts as an additional tool that allows you to see the whole picture - to see even what was not visible during the interview.

There are no good or bad personality types - there are those that fit or don't fit a particular role. As a result of testing, you determine which of the two candidates is more relevant to the position profile according to the behavior model.

In an internal assessment

DISC can be used to assess whether a person is in the right place, how he feels and whether he is able to behave as expected of him.

For example, the commercial director of one company did not work as efficiently as expected. He was strong in analytics and planning, but did not show himself as a result-oriented leader. Before the assessment, the company did not understand what exactly was wrong, but the assessment showed that the commercial director is a type C person, not a D.

It is up to each company to decide what to do with this information. It is not always about replacement: weaknesses can be strengthened. For example, if you give the commercial director detailed feedback, pointing out points of development, then he will have the opportunity to work on his behavior and strengthen communications.

If successful, the director will increase his D-factor and performance. Of course, an employee will be able to come to such changes if he has well-developed other competencies, for example, emotional intelligence.

To determine the state of an employee

Using DISC, you can assess the psychological state of an employee - see frustration, burnout, depression, stress due to uncertainty.

Thus, a graph in which all points lie on the X-axis plane is called compressed. Depending on which of the three graphs is compressed, one can infer problems. For example, the compression of schedule I indicates that the employee is confused, lost his bearings, or does not understand what is required of him. Perhaps he is demotivated and is considering career changes.

This is what happens when an employee is appointed against his will to a new position. Then he feels out of place and suffers. If the HR sees such a picture, he can communicate with the employee and try to solve the problem: move him from this position or, conversely, help him find himself in a new role.

To assess the realism of the job profile

Sometimes customers are looking for a candidate who must be able to absolutely everything and combine the incompatible. Some assessment providers allow you to fill out a job profile and then get a schedule of the person who would fit the role.

So it may turn out that the customer is looking for a "unicorn" - a candidate who must have all personality types at a high level at once.

Conclusions
  1. According to the DISC typology, people are divided into 4 types - depending on the perception of the environment and the activity of their own actions.
  2. Personality types DISC:
  • D - dominant, active in a hostile environment;
  • I - influencing, active actions in a friendly environment;
  • S - stable, passive actions in a friendly environment;
  • C - adaptive, passive actions in a hostile environment.
  1. In addition to people who belong to one type of personality, there are those who combine several types.
  2. The most popular and reliable DISC typology assessment tool is the Thomas Profile Personality Analysis.
  3. Testing takes place automatically within 10-15 minutes. As a result, you get 3 graphs of the subject's behavior: in ordinary life, at work and in a stressful situation.
  4. The highest point on the graphs may indicate the type of personality. At the same time, it is important to look at the points below, as well as at the relationships.
  5. The graph of the stressful situation is the most revealing
  6. Free tests on the Internet are just fun. To get a reliable and detailed assessment, it is better to contact certified experts.
  7. DISC can be used:
  • in recruiting,
  • in assessment,
  • for diagnosing the psychological state of employees,
  • to assess the realism of the job profile.

Record candidate evaluation results directly in Huntflow

Personality Types | 16Personalities

Analysts

Strategist
INTJ-A / INTJ-T

Imaginative, strategic thinkers with a plan for all occasions.

Scientist
INTP-A / INTP-T

Creative inventors, with a strong belief in the power of knowledge.

Commander
ENTJ-A / ENTJ-T

Brave, resourceful and strong-willed leaders who always find a way - or make a way.

Debater
ENTP-A / ENTP-T

Smart and curious thinkers who never turn down an intellectual challenge.

Diplomats

Activist
INFJ-A / INFJ-T

Quiet and mystical, but inspiring and relentless idealists.

Broker
INFP-A / INFP-T

Poetic, kind and altruistic personalities, always ready to stand up for a good cause.

Trainer
ENFJ-A / ENFJ-T

Charismatic and inspiring leaders who captivate their listeners.

Wrestler
ENFP-A / ENFP-T

Enthusiasts, creative and sociable free minds who always find a reason to smile.

Guardians

Administrator
ISTJ-A / ISTJ-T

Practical and factual people whose reliability is unshakable.

Protector
ISFJ-A / ISFJ-T

Very responsible and kind protectors, always ready to protect their loved ones.

Manager
ESTJ-A / ESTJ-T

Excellent administrators, unsurpassed specialists in process and people management.

Consul
ESFJ-A / ESFJ-T

Extremely caring, sociable and popular people, always ready to help.

Seekers

Virtuoso
ISTP-A / ISTP-T

Brave and practical experimenters, masters of all kinds of techniques and tools.


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