What is DiSC?
What is DiSC?
DiSC® is an acronym for a model of human behavior based upon the work of William Marston, a Harvard-educated psychologist and inventor.
Marston created the systolic blood-pressure test to test for deception, which became the forerunner of today's polygraph. From this work, he developed a belief that women were more truthful, reliable, and productive at work than men. He was one of the first to express concerns about gender stereotyping.
In 1928, Marston published a book titled “Emotions of Normal People.” While attempts to understand the motivations for human behavior date back some 2,600 years, to the writings of Aristotle, Marston’s work became the basis for the DiSC® Theory developed further by Dr. John Geier. Like Hippocrates, who was one of the first to go on record stating that human behavior could be classified into four quadrants, Marston and Geier conducted research and observation that resulted in modern DiSC® Theory.
Marston theorized that humans behave along two axes:
- People tend to be either active or passive in their attention to their environment.
- People tend to view this environment as either favorable or antagonistic.
More simply stated, we tend to develop predictable patterns of behavior based on whether or not we like to actively engage our environment, combined with our belief that the environment is either friendly or unfriendly.
D – stands for Dominance and describes a behavioral preference that seeks a more active role to maintain control in an environment viewed as unfavorable.
i – stands for Influence and describes a behavioral preference that seeks a more active role to maintain control in an environment viewed as favorable.
S – stands for Steadiness and describes a behavioral preference that seeks a more passive role in an environment viewed as favorable
C – stands for .Consciousness and describes a behavioral preference that seeks a more passive role in an environment viewed as unfavorable.
Geier later developed Marston’s work into an instrument that is widely used today and recognized as a useful tool in enhancing the effectiveness of people and organizations. Each letter of the acronym represents a unique perception and response to the environment. It is the relative degree to which each of us embraces each of the four dimensions that provides us with our own unique personality and contribution.
Different isn't Wrong, Different is Different
While each of us would like to believe that our perception of people and events is the correct cone and our response or reaction is the most appropriate, this is simply not the case.
DiSC® provides us a language to engage one other in a less judgmental and non-confrontational way, while acknowledging that differences in perception are not necessarily wrong—just necessarily different.
In doing so, we may be able to better understand our own beliefs, values, goals, motivations, and attitudes to create more harmonious relationships and sense of community at home, at work, and in our world.
For tips to effectively train your people and streamline your organization, and for other solutions to your staffing challenges, visit www.traininginabox.com. Sign up for your free newsletter at www.quicktrainingsolutions.com to make your HR training and development life easier. Ron Nielsen designs and delivers innovative and effective training solutions for businesses through NTG, his business development and training company.
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