DISC: Are You Driven by Task or People?

In the DISC assessment world, people are categorized as either task oriented or people oriented. High Ds (Dominating Directors) and High Cs (Compliance Gurus) are task oriented. High Is (Influencers) and High Ss (Steady Team Players) are people oriented. Most people lean towards one style, but a person may have a little of both task and people orientation.

Jobs also have task or people orientations. Some positions reflect one style while other positions may require a little of both. The key is to match the person’s style to the position’s style to achieve best performance.

Here are a few examples of matched styles for select positions:

Accounts Payable: A task oriented role (High C) tendencies.
Customer Service: A people oriented role (High I or S) generally with some task tendencies (C).
Administrative: Often a combo role of task and people characteristics (High S & C)
Engineer: Task oriented (High C) with some people tendencies (High S.)
Sales: People oriented (High I) coupled with task characteristics (High D and some C.)

Assessments provide a snapshot of a person’s behavioral style. Task vs. People orientation is an important element. Yet, another important data point is Extrovert vs. Introvert. People with High D and High I behaviors are extroverts. Those with High S & High C behaviors are introverts. Some may confuse “people” oriented with extroversion. Yet, a High S is a people oriented introvert. So, there is a distinction that needs to be observed when analyzing assessment results.

As you can see, DISC or DISC-like assessments, such as Predictive Index and Kolbe, are not black and white when it comes to interpretation. The nuances may be subtle, yet could have a significant impact on the success of your next hire.

If you would like to improve hiring results using assessments, give us a call at 317-578-1310.