How to Identify DiSC Personality Types
Learning more about your personality and how you relate to others on a team can be a game changer. Understanding interpersonal relationships and dynamics on a team can make or break the functionality of that team and its overall potential to achieve the goal.
People love personality tests because they provide insights and understanding to themselves and others.
One of these personality assessments is the DiSC personality type.
These are something that actually has links to psychology and have been developed, by professionals, with time and research. Keep reading to learn more about DiSC personality types, as well as how to determine your DiSC personality type or somebody else’s.
What Are DiSC Personality Types?
The DiSC personality types refer to a personality model or model of assessment that helps a person either label and quantify their own personality type, or do the same for others’ personalities.
There are 4 personality types under this model, which are known as Dominant (or D), Influence (or i), Steadiness (or S), and, last but not least, Conscientiousness (or C). One of the great benefits of DiSC personality archetypes is that they can help people understand their own personal inclinations and reactions to things. The DiSC model comes from psychologist William Moulton Marston. He was a psychologist who developed DISC emotional and behavioural therapy in 1928.
DiSC is often used in the workplace to build strong teams and place people in positions that they will do well in. Your DISC personality type can also be a teaching moment for your everyday life, too–not just at work. It is also important to be aware that no style is better than any other, most people are a blend of all four styles, and a person’s experiences and job play a role in their unique behaviours.
How to Identify DiSC Personality Types
Now that you know more about the DISC model of assessment, as well as the 4 DiSC personality types, you may be wondering how it is assessed, and how people are categorized into one personality type or another. Read on to learn more about how these personality types are identified.
Observe
There is a simple 3 step process that can be used when identifying someone’s DISC personality type. This process is called OAR, and the first step of the process is O, meaning Observe. First, you must observe the behaviours of the subject who you are trying to categorize. For instance, what does the person tend to talk about? Those with an S-type personality focus more on family or relationships. This can be a great first clue when choosing what personality type that a person has.
Another trait or characteristic that you should observe is how a person says things. This is not the same as what they talk about, which we discussed above. Look at, for example, what kinds of words they use when they are speaking. D and C personality types are more individualistic. Therefore, when they are speaking, they will probably say “I” and “me”. On the other hand, the other 2 personality types, i and S, may use “we” or “us”. This is especially true for S-types because they have tendencies towards collaboration and support.
You can also observe the body language of a person to help figure out their DISC personality type. For instance, is their body language animated, or is it more subdued? An example here is the i style personalities, which may be more animated and extroverted. This may be off-putting to some of the other personality types that are more subdued, like C or S styles. Of course, these are only a person’s natural inclinations–if a C or D style puts in the work, they can behave in a more people-oriented way, too, like the other 2 personality types.
Assess
The second of the 3 steps is the A in OAR, for Assess. It is important that you first complete the Observe step and observe the behaviours, talking styles, speech patterns, and body language of the person that you are assessing for DiSC type. Then, you can move on to assessing these. First, ask yourself whether this person is more Active or Reserved. This will help to narrow down their personality type. Are they more likely to talk about themselves as individuals, or the future and how things could be? This would make them more Active. If a person is Active, they will likely also have animated, assertive body language and maintain good, strong eye contact. People who are Active will be either D or i style personality types. Those who are Reserved will exhibit different characteristics. These individuals will speak calmly and quietly, and usually more about what is happening in the present, rather than in the future. They may also avoid eye contact. Reserved people will be S-style or C-style personality types.
You will also want to assess whether or not a person is Task Oriented or People Oriented. If a person talks more about things and tasks, rather than feelings or people, they are Task Oriented. Task-Oriented individuals will be either D or C-style personality types. Those who talk more about feelings or people, and also show emotion much more easily, are classified as People Oriented. People Oriented individuals will be I or S-style personality types under the DISC assessment.
Recognize
The final step in the OAR process is the R, to Recognize. This is the last step, where the DiSC type of an individual is finalized, or recognized. The observations that you have made so far will help you to narrow down the DiSC type of a person to which half of the DiSC diamond–a visual graph of the personality types–it is located on. You can then take a look at these 2 personality types and determine which a person is. You must take a look at all of the notes you have been taking–whether you actually wrote them down or not!–in the other 2 steps of the OAR process. You should have figured out if a person is People Oriented or Task Oriented, as well as Active or Reserved. Certain DISC types are not one or the other, so you can then narrow things down.
For example, you know that a D-style individual will be Active and Task Focused. Meanwhile, a person who is a C-style person will be Reserved and Task Focused. i-style people are Active and People Focused, and then S-type personalities are Reserved and People Focused. As you continue to implement OAR and observe the behaviours of people, you will be able to more quickly and easily identify the DiSC profiles of the different individuals that you will meet. It is a process that will improve over time!
Personality Assessments
It is important to have insights into what personality strengths you need in roles you need to hire for and to recognize what personalities complement one another on teams. What do you and your people bring to the table? At Evolved Metrics, we offer in-depth personality assessments that provide insights not only for the individuals on your team, but for how various personalities and behavioural styles work together. This process brings clarity between individuals and teams and fosters more understanding and collaboration.
Contact us today for a complimentary consultation.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know what type of DiSC style I have?
When it comes to personality types, there is a particular personality assessment that is known as DiSC. DiSC has 4 different personality types, and the assessment is usually used to aid in the workplace with putting together teams, for instance. You can identify your DiSC personality type by observing your behaviours and behavioural patterns and seeing which DiSC type they match up with. There are also DiSC personality tests or assessments that you can take to determine your personality type.
What is the most common DISC style personality type?
The most common of the 4 DiSC personality types are type S, the third personality type in the acronym of DiSC. Type S is Steadiness, and in 2019, a study was done that said it was the most common DiSC personality type worldwide. This study was the Extended DiSC 2019 Validation Study. 32% of the world’s population can say that they have type S (Steadiness) personality type! A person who has this personality type may also be referred to as a High S personality type.
What are the 4 personality types in the DiSC model?
There are four styles of personality types that make up a person’s DiSC style. These are in the acronym of DiSC itself and are as follows: D for Dominance, i for Influence, S for Steadiness, and C for Conscientiousness. There are also combination personality types that a person could fall under, but these are simply combinations of 2 of the 4 personality types that were listed above. Typically, a person either falls into one of the main personality types or falls into 2 of them. Examples of that are Di or SC.
Which DiSC style is the best leader?
Every DiSC style has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, and they can dictate how a person does in certain roles, whether at home or in their life. When it comes to leadership, each personality type offers an opportunity to demonstrate great leadership. While underrepresented in the population, D-style personalities are overrepresented in leadership positions. They tend to be bold and decisive, qualities that make for a good leader. i-style personalities tend to win favour through building relationships and connecting people to progress. They can foster exciting environments to work in! The main reason that the S-type personality type is so good in a leadership role is clear from the name–Steadiness. Those who have this personality type are even-keeled and will be respected in a leadership role because they are dependable and are able to put people at ease, too. C-style leaders tend to lead from behind and create logical, orderly and structured mandates for business execution. Each personality type brings something unique but the best leaders represent a blend of all of the preferences and tendencies that each individual style favours.
