The Knowledge Zone

Extended DISC®

People flock to companies for reasons lying within the companies themselves: prestigious name, industry, interesting job offer, potential for development, and many more. At the same time, research demonstrates that in 80 percent of cases, workers do not leave their companies, but only their managers. The most frequent reason consists of imperfections in bosses: lack of leadership competencies, poor communications, failure to develop people, and lack of management skills. Both people and companies loose out on this. What is important in this case is that often, actual shortcomings in this field do not mainly stem from a lack of skills, but from a mismatch of the style of action on the part of the leader and the team itself to natural worker qualities. 

Many of the tools used today in investigating human behavior are based on the work of Carl Gustave Jung. Their basis is a subdivision of human behavior into four primary styles defined as dominance, influence, steady, and compliance. It is the fist letters of these styles that form the term DISC. At the same time, it is difficult to expect that such a basic model can effectively serve to describe the behavior of people in today’s complex and ambiguous world. Reliable, credible, and practical results are provided by an analysis of behavioral styles made using very precise tools based on the Jungian model, where one of the most development and comprehensive is the Extended DISC® model. 

This model emerged in the nineteen–nineties in Finland. It makes possible the identification of 160 various combinations of behavioral types. Its basic assumptions, which are simultaneously the significant advantages of this model, are:

• It serves to observe and analyze behavior (not examine personality),
• It does not serve to classify people as good or bad, it measures neither intelligence nor knowledge, and
• It does not introduce divisions and does not define styles as better or worse. 

Bearing in mind the varied business situations that are presently found in teams and companies as well as remembering the reasons mentioned in the beginning on the weaknesses of teams and their leaders, it is possible to present the application of the Extended DISC® model as well as benefits stemming from its application. In its practical aspects, the model is a fully integrated package of several diagnostic tools. The system uses uniform terminology, eliminating the need to learn new concepts in using successive tools. 

Three main tools in the model are:

• The Extended DISC® Personal Analysis, which describes the natural behavioral style, communication style, manner of taking decisions, strong points, that which motivates and de–motivates a given person, and identifies areas for work on oneself.
• The Extended DISC® Work Pair Analysis provides two respondents with information making possible the undertaking of more effective actions aimed at maximizing the efficiency of cooperation between them.
• The Extended DISC® Team Analysis, which combines the results of team members into a joint report facilitating the building of a team. It makes possible better communications and delivers information thanks to which decisions relating to the team or company (up to 50,000 workers) are made effectively.

What Benefits Can a Worker and His Manager Achieve by Using This Tool? 

For the worker, the results of the analysis primarily mean: Discovering behavioral style – In spite of opinions that we know ourselves best, very frequently respondents value the results of the Extended DISC® and say that they learned important things about themselves that they can utilize in further development and in the shaping of their careers. 

Discovering the behavioral styles of other members of the team – By learning the preferred behavior of other team members it becomes possible to communicate better (I know what “speaks” to individual people), count on better understanding of personal arguments and decisions, as well as reach an understanding more quickly. 

Gaining information on how to effectively manage others – Knowledge on how to transfer tasks and information, knowledge on how to motivate (because what motivates is known), and the awareness that one can count on greater understanding for my arguments and decisions. 

Collaboration with the leader – If one knows the leader’s characteristics one knows how to prepare meetings, reports, as well as how to speak with that person in a way so arguments and ideas effectively reach the leader and are well received. 

Work on individual development – By knowing one’s own natural behavioral style one develops a basis for working on skills allowing control over other behavior, collaboration becomes better, one understands others better, and one knows how to fit in with the style of others. 

Benefits for Leaders, Teams, and Companies 

Understanding mechanisms of collaborating in teams – A “map” of preferred behavior helps understand how individual team members react and proceed, what their strong points and weaknesses are, who has the greatest influence on the team, and is this beneficial for the team as a whole. It allows the utilization of natural behavioral style, which makes it possible for team work to be more efficient and results in fewer conflicts and barriers. 

A tool for managing the team – Each team member works in the most efficient manner when he or she can realize the task in a manner close to his or her natural style. Thus, the leader can take into account such factors in assigning tasks and in planning collaboration within the team. 

Planning worker development – Knowing the natural behavioral style, the leader may plan training that is adequate with respect to the individual needs of workers and the team. 

Selection of new members to an existing team – Knowing the action style of workers of an existing team, it is possible to take conscious decisions regarding its enrichment with defined workers in order to reinforce specific team qualities. 

If you would like to receive more information regarding Extended DISC® please contact us.