What is DISC ?
This DISC® behavioural model was developed by Dr William Marston in the 1920's, starting with a completely different theoretical base from that of Carl Jung. Marston documented his research in the book Emotions of Normal People the title indicating why his work remained dormant for nearly 50 years. Psychologists prior to the 1970's were not very interested in normal people.
Marstons theory was that people behave the way they do because of their perception of the environment and that they respond accordingly. He identified two primary factors that determine behaviour. Firstly, do you perceive the environment as favourable and supportive, or as unfavourable and antagonistic? Secondly, do you perceive yourself as more powerful or less powerful than the environment? Based on your perception of these two factors in a given environment, you will tend to respond with behaviours that effectively deal with that situation.
For example, if you are meeting with a group of friends for lunch, you are likely to behave in a relaxed, open and friendly way. But if you are going into a business meeting where you are expecting some confrontation, you will more likely be on guard, feeling a bit tense, and may play your cards close to the chest.
What this means is that in different environments you may respond with completely different behaviours. This is a significantly different approach to behavioural measurement from that of measuring a persons psychological type or personality. The Personal Profile System is not designed to do that!
Everything DISC:
- Provides a common language to help teams understand one another and work better together
- Acts as a springboard for conversation and team building
- Improves employee and workplace communication
- Helps you to understand people who aren't like you, or are too much like you
- Reduces conflict and avoids misunderstandings
Everything DISC and Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team are trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. or its affiliated companies