DISC Assessment Explained: What It Measures and Why TeamTrait Uses It

The DISC theory of human personality was initially developed by Dr. William Moulton Marston. Dr. Marston created the framework to categorize people’s behavior. Then, Walter Clarke developed an assessment based on Marston’s theory. Clarke’s goal was to help businesses find qualified candidates for their open positions. DISC-based assessments can reveal important details about an individual’s communication patterns and workplace behavior. TeamTrait's^TM behavioral assessments include a DISC-based component because it provides valuable behavioral data.

What Is a DISC Assessment?

A DISC assessment contains standardized and structured questions with a range of specific answers. Candidates take these assessments in a controlled environment. Assessment results indicate how a person will behave in a workplace setting. These assessments do not measure intelligence, skills or a candidate’s ability to do a job.

In the DISC framework, people’s behavior falls into one of four basic styles based on the results of a standardized assessment. Often, a DISC assessment will establish that an individual is primarily one of the following styles. But individuals also have behavioral tendencies, to a lesser degree, that represent an additional style. The styles are:

• Dominance — Dominant employees are typically interested in accomplishing their goals. They are also competitive and direct communicators.
• Influence — Employees with the I‑style of communicating live for the relationships they cultivate. They are typically outgoing and enthusiastic.
• Steadiness — Steady employees do not like big changes. They are most comfortable in environments where they feel secure.
• Conscientiousness — Few details escape the notice of C‑style employees. And these employees also tend to be quieter than others, likely because they are analyzing details.

What Does a DISC Assessment Measure?

Through objective and unbiased questions, a DISC assessment measures specific aspects of an individual’s behavior with respect to workplace scenarios. The questions focus on the pace of work, the formal and informal rules, and whether a candidate might act assertively or defensively with peers and clients.

The standardized questions are designed to reveal how a candidate for a job prefers to communicate. These types of assessments also indicate a candidate’s decision-making style, how they interact with others and how they respond to change.

Communication Style

Hiring managers should understand the natural communication style of candidates they are interviewing. Some people prefer to communicate in person. They may thrive on personal interaction. Other candidates tend to email or text their communications. And they may believe that a short direct response is better than a long explanation.

Decision-Making Approach

Behavioral tendencies heavily influence how an individual makes decisions and solves problems. Analytical individuals prefer to gather as many facts as possible before moving ahead. A person who is always in a hurry may rush ahead without considering all the important details. 

Work and Interaction Preferences

In answering DISC assessment questions, candidates reveal basic preferences about how they work and interact with colleagues. “Lone wolves” are most comfortable when they can tackle challenges and deliver solutions on their own. Team players typically enjoy meeting with others and working together to find a solution to a problem or complete a project. The work environment preferences revealed by a DISC assessment indicate the roles, such as leader, peacemaker or organizer, best suited for the individual.

Response to Challenges and Change

In any work setting, sudden changes, uncertainty and big pressure can impact employees. Managers can review DISC assessments to understand whether their favorite candidate may have a tendency to lock up when they encounter a big change in a project. In some settings, such as a hospital, hiring managers will want to look for candidates who thrive under pressure.

What Are the Four DISC Behavioral Styles?

DISC theory divides human behavior into four main quadrants: dominance, influence, steadiness, and conscientiousness. It’s critical to realize that each behavioral style has unique characteristics. There is no “wrong” DISC style to have.

Each person has a blend of all styles. But typically, one or two styles are more prevalent as the employee interacts with others.

Dominance (D)

These individuals are focused on taking action and getting results. They appreciate challenges and seek them out. They enjoy competition and want to win. People with high dominance can come across as impatient or insensitive. In addition, they fear losing control.

Influence (I)

Influencers seek out opportunities to collaborate. They enjoy social interaction and will exude charm, enthusiasm and optimism. Always willing to talk, individuals with “high influence” in the DISC categories fear being rejected. They may also lose track of details and lack organizational skills.

Steadiness (S)

Steady individuals seek out stable environments. They enjoy collaborating, and their patience and humility add to their aura of thoughtful and paced contribution. They fear loss of harmony and may go out of their way to avoid change. Individuals with high “steadiness” can also appear to be indecisive.

Conscientiousness ©

Conscientious individuals are highly logical. They will challenge assumptions to ensure quality during product development. These individuals are typically seen as quiet and reserved. They also fear being wrong, and in some cases, others may see them as overly critical.

DISC Assessment vs. Personality Tests

A DISC assessment is not the same as a personality test. The purpose of a DISC assessment is to understand how a candidate will behave in a workplace setting. In addition, the assessment results clarify how the individual prefers to communicate. DISC assessments typically assign standard categories to the individual. In addition, behavior can be modified depending on the workplace setting.

Personality assessments measure traits. These assessments are often based on well-known standards like Myers-Briggs or MBTI. The assessments can reveal core motivations for a person’s typical behavior. Individuals typically have innate traits and preferences as part of their personality. These details are not easily changed.

Organizations frequently use DISC profiles for guidance on communication and team development. Managers need to understand the preferred communication style of each team member. When managers communicate in the team member’s preferred style way, they can be more impactful with the information they are sharing. 

DISC profile information can also help managers develop teams for project work. They may want to refrain from putting too many members with the dominant work style on the same team. Doing so may lead to conflicts.

How DISC Assessments Are Used in the Workplace

DISC assessments can be a useful tool in the workplace. Managers and other leaders can review assessment results as they work to improve organizational problems. These problems can include team issues like collaboration and conflict management. Topics such as leadership development and self-awareness can also be expanded when the right people have access to DISC profiles.

Improve Team Communication

Managers can improve team communications by sharing DISC profiles with everyone. This strategy can help during a project kickoff meeting. Managers should review the types of preferred communication styles. They can ask for everyone’s acknowledgement of differences and a promise to remember them when communicating.

Strengthen Collaboration

Team members should understand each other’s preferred work styles and communication strategies. As they develop a better understanding of each other, they will try harder to adjust their own approaches as they work to the common goal of project completion.

Support Leadership Development

Company leaders need objective insights into their workplace behaviors. DISC assessments provide that insight. Because leaders must learn to work with employees across all levels of the organization, they’ll be more successful when they engage with sensitivity.

Manage Workplace Conflict

Employees with very similar DISC profiles, especially the dominant type, may be apt to argue. Their goals are often similar, but they want to insist on working in a specific way on a project. Managers can reduce conflict by asking team members to consider the tendencies of each individual and to adjust their communication styles appropriately.

Improve Self-Awareness

When employees have the opportunity to review the results of an objective and bias-free DISC assessment, they can see themselves from another perspective. Doing so improves their awareness of how they interact and communicate with others. This can prove especially important when sales team members are communicating with prospects. 

Our research shows that buyers have specific objectives in a discussion with a salesperson. They want to learn the cost of the product (45%) and clarify the problem the hope to solve (43%). Sales reps must quickly get to the point in their pitch to keep the prospect engaged.

How DISC Can Help Teams Work Better Together

Understanding behavioral differences helps team members communicate more effectively and build stronger working relationships. Everyone has unique preferences, communication styles, and approaches to completing tasks. Recognizing these differences allows individuals to adjust how they share information, provide feedback, and collaborate. For example, some people prefer direct communication, while others value detailed explanations and discussion. Being aware of these preferences helps reduce misunderstandings, prevent conflicts, and encourage mutual respect. It also allows team members to appreciate different strengths and work styles. Ultimately, understanding behavioral differences creates a more supportive, productive, and collaborative environment where everyone feels valued and can contribute successfully.

Recognize Different Communication Preferences

When team members realize that people have different communication preferences, they expand their understanding. A team member’s curt response on text may not be meant as rude. It may simply signal that they are a better communicator in person.

Adapt to Different Work Styles

Team members must accept that everyone comes to a project with their own work style. Some people may work intensely first thing in the day. Other team members may work consistently at a slower pace through the entire day. In a team meeting, these differences can be acknowledged while the leader sets deadlines for milestones to meet the project deadline.

Reduce Misunderstandings

One of the biggest values of DISC assessments is shared knowledge. When team members learn about how their co-workers behave at work and how they prefer to communicate, they may be less likely to react negatively to an action or reaction they don’t understand.

Build Stronger Working Relationships

The additional knowledge that comes from DISC assessments builds understanding. Team members can focus on the project instead of getting defensive about a co-worker’s behavior.

What DISC Assessments Do Not Measure

Managers should be careful not to assume that a DISC assessment will provide all the information they need on a candidate or an employee. DISC assessments are designed to measure a small part of an individual’s work performance, specifically on-the-job behavior and communication styles. To access a more complete impression an individual, a broader set of assessment is necessary.

Intelligence or Cognitive Ability

DISC assessments do not measure an individual’s native intelligence or cognitive ability. To assess that information, the hiring team should ask the candidate to take a specialized assessment.

Technical Skills

Technical skills cannot be measured through a DISC assessment. When organizations seek highly skilled individuals, they should develop a custom assessment designed to measure competence for a specific position.

Job Performance

DISC assessments are not suitable for measuring a candidate’s likely job performance. The hiring team should add other assessments to the hiring process, such as situational judgement tests or job knowledge tests.

Personal Values or Beliefs

Personal values and beliefs can be important consideration when hiring. Managers may can candidates who are a good culture fit or an ad. DISC assessments do not provide this information, but other assessments do.

How to Use DISC Results Effectively

Managers should develop a framework for using DISC assessment results in their organization. These assessments represent an investment by the organization. The information, when properly used, can improve a manager’s performance and increase team loyalty and commitment to projects. For that to happen, managers need to establish a system of best practices.

Use Results as a Starting Point 

Properly designed and bias-free DISC assessments provide valuable information. But they do not provide everything a manager needs to understand team members. The data is best used in combination with other assessment results.

Avoid Labeling People

Because individuals possess unique profiles, they will have a unique mix of DISC-assessed behavioral tendencies. Managers should set an example during team discussions regarding DISC profiles and communications styles. Specifically, they should not label an individual with high dominance as “bossy.”

Consider Situational Factors

When DISC assessments are given in a specific job situation, a person’s answers may be influenced by what they are experiencing. To adjust for this influence, assessments will provide a profile that shows a person’s natural behavior when they are not feeling stressed. And their adapted style profile will score behavior when they are feeling stressed.

Apply Insights to Communication

The details from DISC assessments, especially when comparing natural to adapted behaviors, should be studied by managers. They can learn how a team member will behave when they are stressed. And that information can guide them toward understanding how to communicate with them.

Revisit and Develop Behavioral Awareness

Managers can help each team member understand their workplace behavior based on their assessments. They can also discuss specific work tasks in the context of their natural versus adapted work styles. With this awareness, team members can grow professionally.

DISC Assessment for Team Building

DISC assessments can serve as a platform for improving team loyalty and commitment. Each team member brings different skills and work styles to a project. But unless they can work well together, they will struggle to complete the project on time. One way to improve the workflow is to hold open discussions about work behavior and preferred communication styles. These types of discussions can reduce friction.

How and Why TeamTrait Uses DISC Assessments

DISC-based behavioral assessments are just one of several sales hiring tests included on the TeamTrait platform. The importance of the DISC assessments cannot be overstated. With this information, talent management teams gain insight into candidates’ behavioral tendencies, communication preferences, team dynamics, and development needs. After onboarding, managers continue to use TeamTrait’s DISC assessments to personalize their communication style with the new employee’s needs. They can also refer to the DISC assessments as they establish team goals.

Final Thoughts: Turning DISC Insights Into Better Teamwork

DISC assessments measure behavioral tendencies across four styles: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. These assessments help individuals understand their communication preferences, workplace behaviors, and approaches to collaboration. Organizations use DISC to improve teamwork, strengthen leadership, resolve conflicts, and support professional development. Understanding behavioral differences allows team members to adapt communication, appreciate diverse work styles, and build stronger relationships. However, DISC has limitations because it does not measure intelligence, skills, or job performance and should not be used to label individuals or make hiring decisions. When applied appropriately, DISC insights encourage self-awareness, mutual respect, effective collaboration, and a more productive workplace environment.

Frequently Asked Questions

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