From Personal Profile 2800 Series ®, DiSC Classic ®, to Everything DiSC ® Classic Facilitation System, Inscape Publishing [1] has produced DiSC – based assessments that are designed to be administered in a simple low-tech way, via paper, or via today’s high-tech electronic assessments. 

            Recent validation and reliability research coupled with technology brings ease of administration and accuracy to today’s trainers and HR professionals. However, there is a minimum requirement for the participant. Whether it is the DiSC Classic Paper, the electronic (EPIC) DiSC Classic 2.0 ®, or the Everything DiSC Classic Facilitation system the participant must meet the following requirements:

• The participant must be at least 18 years of age;
• Have at least a 10^th  grade reading capacity (with some exceptions, e.g. "DiSC Phrase Version");
  
• Have at least a High School level of life experiences / maturity and corresponding language comprehension (languages other than English are available on selected products);
• Must be willing and able to follow directions in a collaborative way, in cooperation with administrators.
  

            The DiSC Assessment is based on research[2] by William Moulton Marston, Ph.D. (1893 – 1947) Marston, considered the father of behavioral science, graduated from doctoral studies at Harvard and was also a consulting psychologist, researcher, and author / co-author of five books. His work in the writing of Emotions of Normal People in 1928 is the model upon which the DiSC model is based. This DiSC model / theory includes overlap with the theory of Interpersonal Circumplex (Leary, 1957), a model of interpersonal relationships. 

            The theoretical DiSC model proposes four styles. In this model the traits or “styles” are as follows:

• Dominance (D):  direct, strong-willed, and forceful;
• Influence (i):  sociable, talkative, and lively;
• Steadiness (S):  gentle, accommodating, and even-tempered;
• Conscientiousness (C):  reserved, analytical, and logical.
  

            Interpretive feedback is included with the results of each DiSC assessment, designed to be used with the help of a trainer, coach or facilitator, to help participants understand their score. The feedback is to be used as a starting point, not only in understanding of oneself, but of others. DiSC instruments have been especially helpful in today’s work environments, being used, for example, to integrate more quickly, and smooth transitions of employees involved in corporate acquisitions and mergers, safety training, speed up effectiveness in communication, advance manager “people skills” / leadership skills, and more. 

            One of the newer additions to the DiSC family,  Everything DiSC ®, is a busy facilitator and trainer’s dream. So much of the homework has been completed!  It provides ready-made modules, course outlines, and video segments that help you create simple, highly customizable DiSC based training. The DiSC Course Outlines highlight training on communication, Conflict Management, Building Greater Self-Awareness, Maximizing Your Strengths, Sales, and more. For example, DiSC can help your team:

• Understand the work roles and responsibilities that fit you best / those that perhaps are not so good a fit;
• See how your dominant personality trait / style can be a strength or a weakness if over-used;
• Understand how small changes coudl relieve points of conflict and how to make those adjustments;
• Understand that different behavioral styles or personality traits is not synonymous with "bad" personality traits or behavioral styles;
• Create a culture of listening and hearing, of leadership and of collaboration;
• Learn how to reduce misinterpretations of behavior.
  

            Things are changing in the arena of DiSC v. MBTI. There have been many comments, positive and negative, concerning which instrument best meets the needs of today’s workforce, both from the world of academia and from the professional and corporate worlds. 

            MBTI [3] or the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is a psychometric questionnaire based on the work of Carl Jung (1921). The essence of the theory is that much seemingly random variation in behavior is actually quite orderly and consistent, being due to basic differences in the ways individuals prefer to use their perception and judgment. The original developers of this questionnaire were Katherine Cook Briggs, and her daughter Isabelle Briggs Meyers. They began creating the indicator during WWII. MBTI measures the participant’s personal preferences on four primary scales:

• Introversion / Extraversion;
• Sensing / Intuition;
• Thinking / Feeling;
• Judging / Perceiving

            Recently however, Inscape Publishing has introduced a new product, entitled “Everything DiSC – Workplace”. ED - Workplace may well prove to be competitive with MBTI, in scope and practical use, as its name implies, in the Workplace. The verdict is still out. Would you like to be a part of testing it?

             Learning Unlimited Corporation [4] extends an invitation to companies, trainers and leaders who would take the opportunity to judge for themselves. The link is: Experience EPIC , our free Online DiSC experience.  We think the electronic DiSC profile will speak for itself.  After you have completed your free online assessment, come back and explore the many training options and assessments available online and accessable to you 24 / 7.  Ask about the waiver of set-up fees for corporate accounts.