Friday, March 23, 2007

4 Personality Types: Who is the Most Effective?

A friend of mine recently bought a fitness center franchise and she is miserable. She learned that when the center is empty she goes stir-crazy. She likes to have people around her all of the time and can’t stand the quiet of the afternoon. On the other hand, my best friend is an engineer and he happily works at home alone. Some people are outgoing, some enjoy keeping to themselves and others prefer a little of both. In fact, you can classify people into four basic personality types or behavioral styles. Look around your office and see if you see any of these people. We’ll call the first person Dave. Dave likes immediate results and tends not to listen to details before making decisions. He acts quickly and often cuts people off mid-sentence. Or how about Ingrid? Ingrid is optimistic and looks for the best in everyone. She enjoys conversations, networking events and spreads her influence using her charismatic style. Then there is Stan. Stan is very predictable and patient. He is very loyal to the organization and listens attentively. And finally, we have Catherine. Catherine is interested in accuracy and details. She enjoys working alone and prefers to use diplomacy to solve problems rather than direct confrontation. Read the full article

Friday, March 09, 2007

DiSC Profile Group Reports

Many of you use the DiSC Profile to assess behavioral styles within your organization. Did you know that you can also use group reports to look at the group as a whole. Inscape Publishing has created exceptional reporting to help you look at the group as a whole. There are basically three group reports associated with the DiSC Profile:
  • DiSC Team View
  • DiSC Facilitator Group Report
  • DiSC Group Culture Report
The DiSC Team View is a free report that can be run by EPIC account owners. This reports consists of all of the group member's DiSC graphs and their classical patterns. There is no narrative piece to this report but it is free on EPIC.

The DiSC Facilitator Report is a comprehensive report containing a breakdown by DiSC Quadrant showing the percentage of people who receive high, moderate, or low scores in each of the DiSC styles. Each quadrant also displays the percentage of people who received that style as their primary or secondary style. The report also contains a DiSC Styles Distribution displaying the percentage of people who received high, moderate, or low scores in each of the DiSC styles. This section allows you to compare your group distribution in the four styles against the general reference data. You will also find a Classical Pattern Distribution listing the number and percentage of people who received each Classical Pattern. Reference data is also provided as a point of comparison. There is a section on DiSC and Group Culture that provides an overview of each DiSC style as it relates to group culture. This section describes how you read your DISC culture and helps the facilitator understand the challenges and frustrations that individuals within that culture may face. Finally, this report contains a data table that lists each individual, his/her primary DiSC style(s), secondary DiSC style(s), Classical Pattern, and segment numbers. Names are organized by highest DiSC style

The DiSC Group Culture Report contains an introduction stating what group culture is, why it’s important and explores the origins of your culture. The next section, Your DiSC Culture, explores the DISC culture of your group. It contains a graphic that shows the distribution of DiSC styles in your group. A bar chart is displayed that helps you understand what your group members most value. The next few pages describe culture based on behavioral styles. The D Culture describes Dominance which is characterized by quick decisions, direct answers, and a competitive atmosphere. It identifies the qualities that are encouraged and frowned upon in the D culture. It also describes the advantages and drawbacks of this culture. The i Culture describes Influence which is characterized by an energetic, passionate, and optimistic atmosphere. It lists the qualities that are encouraged and frowned upon in the i culture. It also identifies the advantages and drawbacks of this culture. The S Culture describes Steadiness which is characterized by stability, collaboration, and friendliness. It identifies the qualities that are encouraged and frowned upon in the S culture. It also describes the advantages and drawbacks of this culture. The C Culture describes the Conscientiousness which is characterized by a focus on quality, accuracy, and order. It indicates the qualities that are encouraged and frowned upon in the C culture. it also lists the advantages and drawbacks of this culture.

To view a printable PDF sample of each report click on the title below:
DiSC Team View
DiSC Facilitator Group Report
DiSC Group Culture Report