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FAQs, Learner Questions, and Helpful Answers About DiSC
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General questions about DiSC
DiSC is a needs-driven behavioural model, which means it can uncover behavioural tendencies and help people understand why they behave in a certain way and what motivates them.
Style is represented by a dot within one of the 12 segments of the DiSC continuum model. The position of the dot in relation to the center of the circle indicates how closely the person matches one of the main behavioral categories.
The closer the dot is to the circle's edge, the more strongly that individual is likely to identify with the styles and behavioral patterns associated with their type.
The closer it is to the centre, the easier it should be for them to adopt behavioural patterns from other personality types.
No single DiSC style is considered ideal or superior. Each style brings its own set of strengths and areas for improvement. DiSC is a tool to understand the effort required for different behaviors, rather than a measure of skill. It’s important to recognize that we’re all a mix of styles and can adapt to others as needed.
- When an individual took it right before or after a big life event
- When an individual took it in their non-native language
- When an individual was distracted when they took it
- When an individual took it more than 3 years ago and has changed work roles
- When an individual was not authentic in their responses the first time that they completed the assessment
- When an individual is transitioning to a new career or work environment
- When an individual is working on personal growth or development
There are no style “outliers” in the DiSC model refined by psychometricians at Wiley. Everything DiSC® assessments are normed so roughly a quarter of the population falls into each quadrant.
Other assessments based on the DISC model might show a predominance of one style because their assessments haven’t been normed for equal distribution or because their questionnaire items are value-laden, using terms for one style that are more socially desirable than others.
However, note that there is still quite a difference between the most common style (i with 10.4%) and the least common style (CD with 5.3%) according to this sample size of English-speaking respondents. There is no research done on what is the distribution globally.
Style inclination
If you look at the DiSC map for several people you’ll notice that not everyone’s dot is placed at the same distance from the center. That distance is also meaningful. People whose dots fall toward the edge of the circle are said to be much more inclined toward their DiSC styles. The style characteristics of someone with their dot near the outer edge will be much more pronounced than for someone whose dot is closer to the center of thecircle.
As explained in the Everything DiSC Manual:
“By way of comparison, imagine a continuum that ranges from extrovert (on the left) to introvert (on the right). We can have two introverted people that are located on the right side of the continuum, but one (who is more introverted) will be placed further to the right than the other person (who is less introverted). One person will be expected to show more pronounced introverted traits than the other.”
We know what percentage of people fall in each quarter of inclination. The first quarter – the one closest to the center of the circumplex – is by far the smallest population, at only 2.0%. The percentage of those very close to the center, then, is even smaller than 2.0%.
Here’s a quick breakdown of the percentages for each quarter:
- First quarter (closest to center of circumplex): 2.0%
- Second quarter (“slightly to moderately inclined”): 16.2%
- Third quarter (“moderately to strongly inclined”): 45.2%
- Fourth quarter (closest to outside of circumplex): 36.6%
Distribution of DiSC inclination:
Everything DiSC® assessments go deeper than simply telling you whether you have a D, i, S, or C style. Your DiSC map will also show you:
- how strongly inclined you are to your style (how close your dot is tothe edge or center)
- to what degree you display qualities of other styles (your shading)
- whether you have extra priorities outside those typical of your style
For example, this Everything DiSC Workplace® map shows someone with a Si style who has extra priorities in Action and Accuracy, which is not typical for that style.
The eight words around the map are call priorities. These are the primary areas you focus their energy and can also be a driver for the observable behaviours that others may notice. The closer your shading comes to a priority, the more likely you are to focus your energy on that area. Everyone has at least three priorities associated with their profile, and some may have four or five. It is important to note that having five priorities is no better than having three, and vice versa.
The reporting of additional priorities in this way is important since they broaden the richness and accuracy of the report. It can be used to help understand why the person in the profile above may not instantly connect with the 'typical' profile of an Si style.
Remember this type of profile isn't better, or worse - just different!
With every DiSC profile, there is also a free Facilitator's Supplement available. This provides a little more detail about the data behind the presentation of the results. We always recommend to look at this free report when you give feedback to DiSC results.
Keeping the principles of DiSC® active and relevant in an organization can be challenging, but it’s crucial for fostering a culture of communication and understanding. Here are some strategies to ensure that DiSC remains a vibrant and integral part of your workplace.
1. Regular Refreshers
Encourage teams to regularly revisit DiSC concepts. Short, frequent discussions about DiSC can help keep the principles fresh in everyone’s mind.
2. Integrating DiSC with Existing Processes
Incorporate DiSC into your existing business practices. For instance, during meetings or team-building activities, remind participants of their DiSC styles and how these can influence group dynamics.
3. Leadership Endorsement
Have your leaders set an example by consistently applying DiSC in their management approach and decision-making processes. Leadership’s commitment to DiSC can inspire the entire organization to follow suit.
4. New Employee Orientation
Introduce DiSC early by incorporating it into onboarding programs for new hires. This can help new employees understand the communication styles of their colleagues from the start.
5. DiSC® Profiles Display
Encourage employees to display their DiSC style somewhere visible, like on their desk, office door, or any social platform. This acts as a constant reminder of the diverse communication styles within the team.
6. Apply DiSC in Conflict Resolution
Utilize DiSC to navigate and resolve conflicts by understanding the different motivations and fears of the conflicting parties.
7. DiSC Champions
Designate DiSC champions within your organization who are passionate about the framework and can promote its use in various departments. Consider sending at least one member of a team to the DiSC® Certification program to get further expertise and increase the value your organization gets from DiSC.
8. Tailored Communication
Use DiSC to tailor communication strategies within your team, ensuring messages resonate with the diverse styles of the group.
9. Performance Reviews
Incorporate DiSC into performance reviews to discuss how an employee’s style has influenced their performance, both positively and negatively.
10. Continuous Learning
Keep the learning alive by providing ongoing training and development opportunities related to DiSC. Check out some tips on how to continue the journey with DiSC.
By implementing these strategies, you can maintain the relevance and effectiveness of DiSC® in your organization, fostering a more harmonious and productive workplace and getting a better return on investment from the DiSC profiles.
Everything DiSC has not been validated as a hiring tool. There is no direct correlation between DiSC styles and job success or satisfaction. DiSC focuses on personality traits rather than the skills and abilities required for a specific job. However, some jobs do have a disproportional number of people with similar styles. This is only a modest trend and may only indicate that more people choose or are hired for that profession. For example, you might see several iD styles in your sales department or C styles in IT and finance departments. That might mean more of those styles go into those roles or that recruiters have a bias toward that style for these roles.
Still, Everything DiSC is used by many organizations to build self-awareness and to help understand the style preferences and ideal work environments of new employees, aiding in their successful integration.
Your DiSC profile can evolve over time due to various factors like life experiences, education, and maturity. Changes in your DiSC assessment results might be more noticeable over longer periods. While major shifts in style are unlikely, smaller changes can occur, especially after significant life events or when frequently engaging in behaviors characteristic of different styles.
At discprofiles.eu, we recommend re-taking the DiSC assessment every two years to ensure it captures your current style.
It’s common for people to exhibit similar DiSC styles in both their personal and professional lives. While different situations might require different styles, this doesn’t mean one has completely different styles at work and at home. It’s about adapting to various situations, which might be more or less energy-intensive depending on how far it is from your natural style. So, whether at home or at work, you don’t really change the essence of who you are, but you may change how you respond to others in each different environment. You are likely to float between a few dominant styles based on each unique circumstance.
Utilizing the insights gained from an Everything DiSC assessment can be incredibly beneficial in both personal and professional life. For example, understanding the concept of ‘stretching’ into other styles to be more effective with others. If your natural style is analytical and reserved (C style), but you’re in a situation that requires more outgoing and social behaviors (i style), this stretching can range from being slightly uncomfortable to quite challenging, depending on your style’s intensity (position on the DiSC circle). The further away your natural style is from the required style, the more effort it takes to adapt.
Remember, the key to leveraging DiSC effectively is not just in knowing the styles, but in actively applying this knowledge to adapt and improve interactions and strategies in various areas of life and work.
A team can be successful with or without a mix of DiSC styles. What’s more important than mix is awareness of the team’s strengths and challenges. A well-rounded team will work to overcome their challenges rather than focus only on their strengths.
The colors used in Everything DiSC profiles are purely for design and branding purposes. They don’t hold any specific meaning in relation to the DiSC styles themselves. It’s important not to associate DiSC styles with certain colors (as some competing tools do), as research indicates that the interpretation of colors can vary significantly across different cultures.
The DISC model is not copyrighted, so this has led to the development of various assessments by different providers. Everything DiSC is the original and the first DiSC profile created in the world and sets itself apart as a premium brand with its commitment to ongoing research and the most advanced assessments and solutions.
Everything DiSC profiles are one of the most advanced and researched personality assessment tools globally. They offer a more detailed evaluation of an individual’s personality and behavioral style. Everything DiSC is backed by extensive research and testing, ensuring the product's validity and reliability. It has significantly evolved from the original DISC profiles and Marston’s research.
Moreover, Everything DiSC uses 12 styles instead of just 4, incorporates Likert Scale questions, and employs adaptive testing to ensure the most accurate and modern survey process and results. Its continuum model makes the information easy to understand and apply in team environments. Overall, Everything DiSC is highly memorable, fully personalized, and positively written to ensure a positive and valuable experience for all participants.
Everything DiSC is available in almost 15 languages, including Chinese, Danish, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Lithuanian, Norwegian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish. The older generation DiSC Classic is available in 30+ languages.
If you need assessments and results in a language not mentioned here, please contact us to discuss your requirements.
The translated profiles are culturally adapted to the country of origin to account for any differences in language, approach, or culture, ensuring they are applicable to every participant.
Yes. In fact, Wiley only publishes products that have surpassed their strict testing standards and have been proven effective through their iterative design process. Everything DiSC assessments build on over 40 years of DiSC research and knowledge. Specific information related to validity and reliability is available in the Everything DiSC Research Report and the Everything DiSC Research Manual.
DiSC Learner questions
DiSC or other personality assessments can undoubtedly be misused. For example, someone might insist on hiring only people with a high Achiever score in StrengthsFinder, assume that an INTJ Myers-Briggs result means someone will be difficult to work with, or believe that only DiSC C styles can be good accountants. These are common examples of misuse of personality and behavioral assessments.
To ease learners' concerns, explain how the assessment will be used to improve communication, build stronger team relationships, and similar goals. Sharing the Cornerstone Principles found in each profile can also help. It's important to note that all DiSC styles are equally valuable, and DiSC does not predict job success.
We like to say that the goal of DiSC is the opposite of putting people into boxes—it's about helping people get out of their boxes. While everyone has their natural comfort area, we can benefit enormously by learning to operate outside of it as well.
It might seem that Dominance types are naturally suited to leadership or managerial roles, Conscientiousness types excel in finances and IT, Steadiness types thrive in potentially more stable public sector or Human Resources roles, and Influence types shine in sales and communication.
However, this is not always the case. DiSC style does not indicate skill or job suitability. While individuals may be drawn to certain roles that align with their behavioral tendencies and natural needs, DiSC should never be used to predict job suitability or confine people to specific roles.
In general, research shows that demographics don’t have a notable influence on the differentiation of personality types measured by DiSC profiles. DiSC is as valuable and popular in Japan as in Denmark.
From the Everything DiSC Manual:
Most common DiSC style
“The standardization of the eight scales ensured that the assignment of DiSC styles was roughly equal across the twelve styles. The Everything DiSC assessment has been translated into other languages where local norm groups are used to establish the optimal items and norms for each scale.”
Gender
Gender “differences are generally small. The largest differences are seen on the iS scale, in which gender accounted for 3.7% of scale variance. Women tended to score higher on the i, iS, S, and SC scales, and men tended to score higher on the D, Di, C, and CD scales.”
Heritage
“These differences are generally small. The largest differences are seen on the CD scale, in which heritage accounted for 2.5% of scale variance.”
Education
“These differences are generally very small. The largest differences are seen on the Di scale, in which education accounted for .7% of scale variance.”
Ethnicity
“Practically speaking, knowing someone’s ethnic background will tell a practitioner almost nothing about that person’s DiSC style.”
For most profiles, it's up to the learner whether they want to share their results. Only the administrator of the EPIC account will have access to view learners’ completed profiles.
If using Everything DiSC Catalyst, everyone’s overall results will be visible to others within the same organization who have also taken an assessment on the Catalyst platform. However, no one will see anyone else’s complete report. Learners can adjust their privacy settings to not appear in the "Your colleagues" section of the site.
If you're using a Facilitator Report for group analysis, others will see each learner’s dot-placement along with their name, but they won’t have access to the full profile.
While some people may prefer not to share their results, we typically find that people enjoy sharing what they've learned about themselves.
There is no way to fail a DiSC assessment as there is no better or worse style. All results are equally good. However, as the learner is the expert on themselves, they should fill the assessment as truly as possible. Trying to manipulate the results to get a specific outcome could invalidate the assessment, making it less useful for personal development.
Explaining how the assessment will be used and what they should focus on when answering the questions can help alleviate learners' anxiety about taking it.
Absolutely! If a learner sees the benefits of DiSC and wants to buy a profile for a loved one or colleague, direct them to our website or contact us. When you purchase an assessment as a gift, you will receive an email with a link to the assessment. You can then simply forward this email to your friend, family member, or colleague. The recipient will be able to set up a secure account, take the assessment, and view their results.
If someone has lost their profile and can't easily find it, they should return to the initial email they received from the assessment provider. The link they used to take the assessment will help them locate their completed profile. If they no longer have the email with the access code, they will need to contact us. If the assessment was purchased from discprofiles.eu, we can help locate it for them.
If the learner has signed into either Catalyst or MyEverythingDiSC, they will be able to find their reports there. For MyEverythingDiSC, they might need to add their profile using the code from their initial email or the bottom right corner of their printed (or PDF) profile.
Leadership effectiveness isn't determined by behavioral style, so no single DiSC style is inherently better for leadership than another. Effective leaders excel at maximizing team performance and fostering a culture of strong teamwork and morale. Flexibility, adaptability, and agility are far more critical than specific personality traits. Research shows that the most effective leaders possess high levels of emotional intelligence, and no particular DiSC style has a natural advantage in this area.
Traditionally, we have seen more D-style people seek out leadership/managerial roles but studies show that recently other styles have been increasing faster among managers.
Respondents should answer the Everything DiSC questions instinctively, focusing on the perspective of “Who am I?” Following this approach, it typically takes about 12-20 minutes to complete an Everything DiSC Workplace assessment. The time may vary depending on the type of profile and the adaptive testing approach of the assessment.
Once the questionnaire is completed, the respondent’s profile report is available immediately. The administrator can provide instant access to the report, or it can be withheld by a facilitator until a scheduled team DiSC session.
With the new Catalyst platform for Everything DiSC, respondents can view their DiSC result on the online platform as soon as they complete the assessment.
DiSC is a powerful tool to create self-awareness and for fostering engagement within an organization from the ground up. Participants in a DiSC session will receive resources to help them take ownership of their working relationships and better understand their own needs and how they differ from others. As team members learn to meet their own needs and those of their colleagues through their work, we expect to see increased trust, respect, and openness among the team.
Research shows that higher levels of trust and collaboration within an organization have a significantly positive impact on business results.
There may be times when a person’s report and narrative feedback do not seem consistent with characteristics typical of their DiSC® style. For instance, we know that two people with the D style are not identical. This is because the D style is multidimensional and, therefore, contains correlated but separate elements such as forcefulness, directness, and tough-mindedness. There are times when an individual may demonstrate only two out of three of these characteristics and still be classified as a D style. Unexpected behaviors or priorities outside of the typical characteristics of a DiSC style help reflect the depth of a person’s individual personality. The Everything DiSC Supplement for Facilitators report can help you identify these unexpected behaviors and is available for any Everything DiSC profile.
EPIC admin account
EPIC (Electronic Profile Information Center) is a self-service administrative tool for administering Everything DiSC® and The Five Behaviors® assessments. Wiley, the publisher of these tools, provides an online solution to provide you complete independence and authority.
We recommend an EPIC Administrator Account if:
- you have an ongoing need for DiSC and The Five Behaviors profiles and reports,
- you want to manage the profiles independently and efficiently,
- you want to generate supplemental reports like Group reports and Comparison reports,
- you want to restrict access to participants' completed profile until you release it (such as handing out profiles during a training),
- you want to create your database and store reports in an organized manner for future reference
There aren't any minimums, renewal costs, or annual fees.
Your account becomes active as soon as you choose and pay for the EPIC Admin Account Setup Package.
EPIC operates by allowing you to purchase credits that can be redeemed for assessments and reports. Every profile has a credit value, and the quantity of credits varies depending on the assessment. Additionally, prices may vary depending on the language.
For the profiles and reports you want to use, you buy the credits you require. These can be purchased straight from your current EPIC account or by sending an email to orders@discprofiles.eu.
Together with the invoice, we email you a confirmation after adding those credits to your EPIC account. To use those credits for the reports or profiles you want, log into EPIC.
Credits never expire. If you order a few more than necessary for your current need, those extra credits can be used for profiles in the future.
We set up your account and provide you a free intro training when you buy an Admin Account Package.
We provide help for using EPIC in the Help section on EPIC platform. There are instruction videos for all functions.
For technical issues and questions, you can always contact 24/7 Tech Support:
| Tech Support (English Only) | |
| Hours: Daily, 24 hours assessmentsupport@wiley.com Americas: +1 763-762-9025 | EMEA: +44 186 552 1556 Asia/Australia: +61 7 3703 1694 |
Usually the EPIC account belongs to the entity that paid for it. It's possible to transfer the account under another company if both parties give their written request and approval for this.