DISCp4 is a personal assessment tool for improving productivity, team work and communication. It deals exclusively with modes of behavior and communication.

One of the golden rules of communication is to adapt to others. We often make the same basic mistake: talking to others the way we would like them to talk to us. When in fact other people also want us to talk to them the way they like. Everyone unconsciously expects their contacts to adapt to their needs.

It’s the same for teams. Different members of a team share the same objectives or shared projects. But each team member is unique, with their own vision of things as well as their own expectations, needs and modes of communication. In order to attain a shared goal, each person will analyze things, talk them over and move forward in their own way. This can lead to conflicts, even though they derive from nothing more than a misunderstanding.

The DISCp4 model helps us understand others. Designed for both individuals and teams, it helps us adapt to the needs of our contacts thanks to effective communication. DISCp4 fits in perfectly with Agile management techniques.

Importante note: DISCp4 is an interpretative framework for human behavior. It is not a test of IQ, proficiency or personality. Nor is it an assessment of personal values. It is simply an analysis of behavior.

The D.I.S.C. model letter by letter

DISC is an acronym which stands for Dominant, Influential, Stable and Conscientious. The DISCp4 model evaluates people’s profiles in terms of these four components.

DISCp4 profiles are generally represented as a wheel divided into four quarters which correspond to the four founding components. Each component has its own characteristics and adjacent quarters share certain characteristics. For example, Dominant (D) and Influential (I) profiles generally correspond to people who are extroverts.

People’s profiles are always expressed in terms of the four components. There are generally one or two main (adjacent) components. It is rare for a profile to contain only one component. Components which face each other are opposites, thus it is also rare for a profile to be made up of equal shares of the four components.

Dominant profiles are full of energy, action-oriented and in constant motion. They are naturally positive and factual, sometimes aggressive, outgoing and persistent and they easily focus on their aims. They adopt a top-down, direct approach in their dealings with others.

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  • Like to have an overall view (macro vision)
  • Straight-talkers
  • Accept challenges
  • Come straight to the point
  • Speak loudly
  • Love action
  • Influential profiles care about getting on well with people. Generally positive and extroverted, they enjoy other people’s company and believe life should be fun. Cheerful and friendly, they deal with others in a convincing and democratic manner.

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  • Enthusiastic and optimistic
  • Enjoy persuading and working with others
  • Don’t appreciate being ignored
  • Delegate easily
  • Struggle to finish their tasks
  • Follow fashion and trends
  • Stable profiles like their life to feel coherent and may fight obstinately for a given cause. They are earnest and reliable. They don’t respond well to ambiguity or impersonal structures. They may be shy in their dealings with others.

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  • Don’t like being hurried
  • Act calmly
  • Are willing to help
  • Are humble and committed
  • Speak softly
  • Resist change
  • Conscientious profiles like to think before they act. They may seem cold or indifferent. They demonstrate a strong desire to know and understand their environment. They struggle to respond to pressure from above and prefer to communicate in writing.

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  • Appreciate autonomy
  • Think things through and is factual
  • Like details
  • Are scared of getting things wrong
  • Find it hard to take quick decisions
  • Seek perfection
  • Practical applications

    DISCp4 profiles are easy to use, both for team members and their managers. Our web-site sets out a series of questions (e.g. “in life, you get up in the morning in order to [..]”) and you simply need to choose which of the four possible answers corresponds best to who you are.

    The test lasts around fifteen minutes. It must be taken in a quiet place, with no interruptions.

    Mesures

    The DISCp4 gauges your communication and behavioral style. It is NOT an IQ test. It does NOT measure intelligence, proficiency, mental health, personal values etc. DISCp4 profiles describe human behavior in different situations, for instance in response to stress, challenges, complex issues, crises, procedures etc.

    DISCp4 results are reliable. They are the result of substantial research into behavioral characteristics since the 1930s. They teach you how to adapt your responses to the profile of the person you are talking to or the situation you are in. You will be able to choose not to use comfortable behaviors, i.e. your own, but instead the behaviors which prove the most effective in regard to your contacts.

    Marston and Clarke

    The DISCp4 model was put forward following research by William Marston Mouton. This American psychologist, also known as the creator of Wonder Woman, published ‘Emotions of Normal People’ in 1928. In this book, which is still a reference today, he explains how emotions lead to differences in behavior among groups and how the behavior of one person can change over time. His work focused on directly observable and quantifiable psychological phenomena.

    Marston explains that the behavioral expression of emotions can be classified according to four primary components which result from self-perception in the relation between a person and their environment. These four components are those indicated on the DISCp4: dominance, influence, stability and conformity.

    Emotions of Normal People

    Marston’s work inspired a personality test by Walter V. Clarke. An industrial psychologist, he was the first person to put together an evaluation tool, using Marston’s theories. In 1956, he published ‘The Activity Vector Analysis (AVA)’, a list of adjectives which he presented to people, asking them to identify the ones which corresponded to them the best. This tool, used by Clarke since 1948 to help companies select staff focuses on four factors: aggressiveness, sociability, emotional control and adaptability.

    Benefits

    More effective communication thanks to knowledge of your own profile and that of your contacts. For example, a person with a Dominant (D) profile, who is generally full of energy, will know to speak calmly when addressing a person with a Stable (S) profile.

    Better management. Knowing the profile of your co-workers enables you to allocate tasks more effectively depending on objectives and constraints. It also allows for more effective oral and written communication, especially by e-mail, since each profile has its own characteristics. Finally, it allows managers to choose the best team-members for each context.

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