DiSC is a popular employee assessment that is a good tool for understanding different styles, behaviors and perspectives of ourselves, of other people and how we respond in different situations.
Like the HBDI®, DiSC is a four-factor model, but in the case of DiSC, each color-coded letter represents a behavior trait: D for Dominance, i for Influence, S for Steadiness and C for Conscientiousness. Unlike the HBDI®—which has a brain-based premise that considers, “How do I process information?”—DiSC is a behavior-based assessment that considers, “How do I behave in a specific situation and how do others perceive me?” DiSC, like most assessments, gives us insight. Those insights are focused on the impact of the individual’s behavior.
Because it helps people see the differences of behaviors in those around them, the DiSC assessment can be a nice conversation starter and a helpful tool for people who’ve never had the opportunity to do much reflection at all.
How Are DiSC and the HBDI® Different?
The two assessments have different premises, so they look at different things. Instead of focusing on behaviors, the HBDI® provides insight into thinking preferences, which may or may not inform someone’s behavior. Thinking preferences also influence how people communicate, make decisions, problem solve and innovate.
The uses, purposes and outcomes are often different as well. In general, the lifespan and long-term impact of a DiSC implementation is limited to learning more about self, others and teams. Beyond that, it’s difficult to scale DiSC for bigger organizational initiatives. The HBDI® assessment is based in the Whole Brain ® Thinking methodology, which is more than just a lens for insight about self, others and teams; it can be used for more strategic applications, such as decision-making, problem-solving, delegating, creative and strategic thinking, and many other areas.
Many organizations use Whole Brain ® Thinking and the HBDI® as a foundation for changing culture because Whole Brain ® Thinking provides a framework and roadmap to create a common language. This common language can be the basis for all the important business conversations we need to tackle—not just people issues, but issues of process, profit and possibilities as well.
In terms of application, with any assessment this can be a challenge. Getting people to create a new practice or behavior based on insight from any tool requires attention, focus and keeping the learning in the forefront of people’s busy days. But I have found it’s less challenging when you have a methodology that frames the concepts. Whole Brain ® Thinking gives you a language, method and framework for thinking about the world around you. It provides an organizing principle for understanding and addressing different kinds of interpersonal or business challenges. And the HBDI® gives you the insight to understand yourself and others, in addition to a framework for analyzing, defining and applying shifts and changes in your thinking—and, by extension, behavior.
For these reasons, Whole Brain ® Thinking and the HBDI® are often more appealing to organizations that want to directly link the strategic work that talent management, L&D, OD or HR is doing with tangible business outcomes.
Tips for Using the HBDI® and DiSC Together
Because DiSC is a nice entry point, you may want to use it to get a short-term, tactical implementation off the ground. But what if you decide to move to a more strategic initiative using Whole Brain ® Thinking and the HBDI® down the road? Can the HBDI® and DiSC coexist?
Absolutely, but there are a few things to keep in mind:
- Understand that the HBDI® is a different type of assessment, and it measures thinking preferences as opposed to the behavioral style that DiSC measures.
- Be aware that there could be some confusion if you use them together because both models use colors as identifiers (e.g., the color blue means different things).
- Be explicit upfront with participants about the differences and why you are using one or the other.
- Encourage participants to look at the patterns of similarity between the two profiles. Have them review the language and descriptors of preferences and behaviors.
In my experience, participants who’ve already taken DiSC are very quick to pick up the HBDI® and begin making their own comparisons. They typically find value in both tools and appreciate the distinctions, and they can begin to see, define and act on what can be done for greater efficiency, effectiveness and impact.
