Personality Types and DISC
Human personalities are highly varied and complex, and the full DISC assessment system is designed to reflect that variation and complexity, but sometimes it can be useful to break down personalities into a few fundamental types. We can do that with a DISC test because at it is based, at its deepest level, on a pair of simple personality axes. The first of these is a continuum between Assertiveness (pro-active, direct behaviour) and Receptiveness (responsive, reticent behaviour). The second describes a scale from Openness (sociability, expressiveness) and Control (reticence and caution). Taken together, these two axes form a grid, and by placing a personality somewhere on this grid, we can draw all sorts of useful conclusions. This brief article discusses some of the key features of the eight most basic DISC personality types. If you want to look further into the theory behind the two axes, you'll find lots of background information in our Understanding DISC reference guide. Four Personality Types, and Four MoreSometimes one of the four fundamental styles will predominate in a person's approach to life, and so we get our first four basic personality types: Assertive, Receptive, Open and Controlled. Just as often, though, a personality will combine elements from two of the axes, so (for example) we'll find a person who's both Assertive and Open, or both Receptive and Controlled. There are four possible combinations like this, and together they give us another four personality types: Dominant, Influential, Steady and Compliant. (These latter four in fact give rise to the four DISC factors, and their initials give 'DISC' its name). A Grid of Personality TypesWe've laid out these eight below according to where they fall on the two major DISC axes. For each of the eight types you'll see a checklist describing the type of personality associated with that type; if you want to find out more about any of the types, just click the link for a more detailed DISC analysis. You'll find more about these types, and about more specialised terms like 'Pressure' or 'Strategy', in Understanding DISC.
Try the Approach AppLooking at personality types like this can give you some useful insights into your own personality, and it can be invaluable when dealing with other people. The Approach iPhone app uses just this model to help you hone your negotiation and sales skills. |
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Can I send questionnaires to my candidates online?Discus provides an entire suite of features to make this process easy and automatic. At the simplest level, you can simply enter a person's e-mail address, and Discus will send them an invitation and then display and manage the questionnaire. Once the questionnaire is complete, a report will immediately be compiled and added to your accounts.
Discus also provides lots of options for your to customise this process to meet your exact requirements. For example, you can arrange to be automatically notified and sent a copy of the report as soon as it is available.
Can a person completing a questionnaire read their own report?This is a decision you can make as you set up an invitation. There's no requirement to share the report, but you have the option of doing so if you wish.
Discus can also provide an intermediate solution through the 'Feedback' report, which is an alternative version of the report specifically designed for this purpose, providing a readable and accessible summary of the results.
Do I have access to all my profile reports?Every DISC profile produced on your account is held in your own secure Discus database. You can access, review and manage those reports at any time. Discus even provides extra features to assess the results in combination, such as comparing candidates against the needs of a role, or assessing how individuals would work together in a team.
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Is training available?We offer a comprehensive online video training course introducing the DISC system and its workings. The course is free if you sign up for an account with fifty credits or more.
DISC training and Discus certification
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I received a test invitation, but I'm not able to use it.There can be various reasons for this. The invitation code might already have been used, or it might simply have expired, or been cancelled by the user who originally set up the invitation.
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I completed an invited questionnaire, but I didn't receive a copy of my report.When a Discus user sends out an invitation, they can choose whether to give you access to your report or not, so it may simply be that this option isn't active.
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If you want to see what Discus can produce, take a look at our extensive library of sample reports.
DISC personality types
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