DISC Research

Our motivational work assessment tool indicates what energizes you, your preference filters, and what drains you. Our tool provides an evidence-based lens into team dynamics, workplace well-being, conflict resolution, hiring, and team performance.

Regarding the future of work, we need to foster workplace environments that support authenticity and help tap into people’s talents to address complex issues in the world. The DiSC Profile is a popular personality assessment tool with four major personality traits: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness.

Our goal is to build upon DiSC personality traits with F4S’ evidence-based tool, which is underpinned by motivation theory and cognitive bias. We hope to apply the F4S assessment to bolster the DiSC personality model by providing scientifically backed insights into the unique talents of individuals at work, raising self-awareness and work alignment.

How F4S DiSC personality type research improves DiSC

DiSC is commonly used in the workplace to understand an individual's attitude, work style, behavioral patterns, and relationship styles. F4S research explores the unique motivational and cognitive patterns related to the different types. Doing so will increase awareness of what motivates people, develop talents, and provide the essential information to improve work culture, performance, and team bonding.

Because F4S focuses on the workplace and what motivates people at work, it enhances DiSC's utility in the workplace; enriching team bonding activities, hiring talent, maintaining well-being, role alignment to strengths and skills, and investing in leadership and strength development. 

Both tools will ensure greater awareness at an individual, team, and company level to help enhance productivity, communication, engagement, and overall motivation.

The DiSC model of personality

DiSC personality profile is a popular tool to determine how people respond to different situations. Everyone has a predominant personality style, allowing individuals to determine behavioral patterns.

D = Dominance: Dominant Type

The DiSC profile describes D-type personalities as motivated by competition, achieving results, success, and the big picture. They are natural leaders that prioritize taking action, dealing with challenges, and being outspoken, persistent, and direct.¹

Their competitive and achievement-oriented nature aligns with F4S' motivation for Achievement, being energized through recognition of achievements and talents, and Breadth, which is the preference for big-picture thinking. Use refers to the motivation for taking action, and Assertiveness speaks to the energy for being outspoken and direct.

i = Inluence: Inspiring Type

The DiSC profile portrays i-type personalities as uplifted by social interaction, group activities, relationships, and collaboration. They prioritize taking action, have a talent for persuading others, and are described as optimistic, warm, trusting, a team player, and convincing.¹

The desire for social recognition, to be around people, and form social circles matches with the motivation for Affiliation, building connection and belonging in the workplace, and Group Environment speaks to the energy derived from working in a space with other team members. Their portrayal as warm and trusting suggests a high motivation for Affective Communication, which is the preference for communicating through non-verbal cues and having high empathy.

S = Steadiness: Supportive Type

The DiSC profile depicts S-type personalities as emphasizing cooperation, helping others, and appreciating the contribution of others. They prioritize supporting and collaborating with others and are described as calm, patient, and consistent.¹

Shared Responsibility is the motivation referring to the preference for helping and collaborating with others, aligning with the DiSC-type style. Patience speaks to the motivation for Reflection and Patience, the energy to pause and reflect before taking action, and being consistent relates to Sameness, which is preferring to retain the same habits, behaviors, and the status quo.

C = Conscientiousness: Cautious Type

The DiSC profile depicts C-type personalities as prioritizing accuracy, details, and expertise. They prefer working with the same circumstances, being careful and systematic to ensure quality. This style values working independently, being logical, and matching best-practice standards.¹

The focus on accuracy and being careful relates to the motivation for Consistency, preferring to double or triple-check information to ensure correctness. Depth speaks to the motivation for having a high attention to detail and Procedures, being energized to follow previously confirmed procedures to avoid risk and create quality work. Solo Environment, the motivation to work alone without distractions aligns with their description of wanting to work independently.

We are all combinations of each style

When looking at the different DiSC personality styles, it’s important to understand we all utilize a blend of styles in different situations in our life. But, there is a prominent style people will use most often. Identifying this brings awareness to preferences, typical behavior, and unconscious tendencies. Awareness allows individuals to adjust their work roles and everyday behavior and nurture relationships to align more with their style.

Benefits of using F4S and DiSC at work

Self-awareness

Utilizing F4S and the DiSC styles brings a greater sense of awareness around what is energizing for you, your natural preferences, what can feel demotivating, your workstyles, and your strengths.

Communication

After understanding your preferences, these tools illuminate communication preferences and styles around paying attention or neutrality, how we can best convince others, and what communication format will be most satisfying and engaging. This can promote more effective communication and align with one's communication style.

Conflict resolution

Through the awareness of preferences, people with different styles can learn how to deal with these differences to reduce and deal with conflict more effectively, as well as develop diplomatic skills. Conflict becomes much less likely by aligning roles to talents and preferences within and outside work.

Leadership

Both tools paint a picture of how people prefer to influence others and be led by leaders. Through this understanding, people can develop their leadership skills, determine if they would thrive in leadership roles, and align their influence styles to their preferences.

Teamwork

Leaders can foster improved teamwork by understanding how people enjoy interacting with team members, collaboration and communication styles, and what interests individuals. By making it easy to visualize differences, people can gain an appreciation of the uniqueness of others in order to improve team interactions and collaboration.

Performance

By aligning roles with what motivates people and what is most engaging, individuals will want to show up to work, resulting in increased performance and overall productivity.

Well-being

By working in a way that people find engaging, energizing, and demotivating, individuals are less likely to experience high stress and burnout at work and in their personal lives.

Appreciating Cognitive diversity

By recognizing and harnessing the unique insights driven by the DiSC personality test and F4S evidence-based motivational approach, we can develop and unlock talents and expertise for the future of work. 

Together these methodologies promote an appreciation of cognitive diversity and the superpowers of others, fostering a motivated and collaborative workforce that can make meaningful contributions to the world around them in their daily lives.

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