Can DISC & MBTI Still Determine Your Overall Work Performance?
Have you ever been asked what your DISC and/or MBTI type is by a potential employer? In recent years, both the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and the DISC assessment still remain commonly used in job interviews and job applications and sometimes, are even required information before being onboarded. But how appropriate are these tests, and how useful are they in your career?
With that said, we’re going to find out whether the DISC & MBTI tests are still relevant in determining work performance as well as whether having a certain type truly equates to a better quality of work!
What Is DISC & MBTI?
The DISC personality test (or DISC theory) is aimed to assess and analyse your driving motivations in the workplace environment. Certain styles - each represented by a letter - are attributed to ideal career pathways, various methods of communicating with colleagues, and the progression of overall productivity.
DISC is an acronym that represents the two axes of motivational behaviour - 1) Active vs. Receptive and 2) Sceptical vs. Agreeable - and the four letters of the behaviour styles it tests for - 1) Drive, 2) Influence, 3) Support, and 4) Clarity.
On the other hand, the MBTI personality test is aimed to assess and analyse your personality traits for the pursuit of personal development. This relies on five different categories in which a letter - and thus, a trait - is assigned depending on its suitability to your character to form 1 of the 16 distinct types. Here's the full list below:
In turn, these fall under 1 of the 4 personality groups below:
In summary: what these tests aim to achieve is the integration of a sense of personal validation. Similar to the appeal that arises from the study of astrology and fortune-telling or the taking of identity-based quizzes, this is known as the Barnum effect, a psychological phenomenon that convinces individuals to believe their ‘unique’ personality type applies more specifically to themselves as opposed to others.
Relevancy Of DISC & MBTI In Work
As mentioned prior, DISC & MBTI (moreso the former, in terms of work) can both be used to assist you in recognizing key aspects of your personal identity and applying them to your career progression goals.
However, when it comes to classifying people into different types, that also means classifying them into different ways of working and performing. So certain types may have an advantageous edge over other types depending on their field of work and the needs of employers, which comes with its own pros and cons.
For example, INTJ and INFP types may seem to not have that many differences between them at first glance. But the calculative, analytical, and constant progressiveness of the INTJ is a stark clash with the idealist, creative, and service-oriented INFP.
INTJ jobs are often focused on strategy and many hold managerial and leadership positions whereas INFP jobs would much rather pursue self-fulfilment through artistic expression or helping people in their society. The bottom line is that in such contrasting lines of work, only one of these personality types may flourish while the other may wither.
Another example can be evidenced between the I and C styles in DISC. The style of Influence-oriented people relates to people, interaction, and communication while the style of Clarity-oriented people relates to structure, organisation, and correctness. Relationships, networking, persuasion, and social situations come easy for Is whereas for Cs it will be details, quality, cautious decision-making, and challenging problem solving.
These differences in approaches and values towards their work make them perfect fits in certain areas of the workplace but also poor fits if misclassified.
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As a result, some employers may desire only certain personality types in employees. Thus, they may cherry-pick their recruits, leading to the unconscious development of biases. Not only does this present unfair conditions for non-considered types right from the start but also automatically limits the time range to prove their talent and potential and to mature from their mistakes.
For countries like South Korea, this may still be the case: the issue of prospective employees having to lie about their MBTI results is unfortunately key in obtaining a chance to work at a given place.
So…Can They?
Well, it’s not as concrete as a simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer.
Several reasons were raised against MBTI’s usage, such as its unreliability, inaccuracy, and oversimplification. Even the Myers-Briggs Company has warned that the MBTI test is not to be used for career hiring or selection.
Because of this, many have steered towards its seemingly, more ‘accurate’ counterpart, cognitive functions. This is the original framework developed by psychologist Carl Jungian to study the effects of brain activity on human personality and where MBTI was derived from through the work of Katharine Cook Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers.
But that’s not to say the test has no merits at all. The most renowned website for MBTI, 16Personalities, offers countless articles and guides. All are compiled through painstaking research conducted by passionate and interested individuals. And because the research revolves around Jungian and the Myers-Briggs Company’s scientific frameworks, studies are still conducted to inquire its loyal fanbase MBTI-related questions for investigative purposes.
On the other hand, DISC tests seem to be much more reliable in terms of workforce affairs. They are still actively used in the workplace to bolster skills such as teamwork, leadership, conflict resolution, and interpersonal communication. However, like MBTI, DISC is just as prone to inaccuracy if the test - especially one of the many free tests available online - is not founded on trusted and proven frameworks.
Still, there are two best methods to utilise the maximum potential of such personality and identity tests: 1) follow up your results with a consultation from a qualified practitioner, or 2) keep your results as base knowledge to pinpoint job opportunities and gain practical work experience that appropriately suit your interests and capabilities.
Regardless of your DISC or MBTI type, if you’re looking to be hired, Hyred has a spot for you! Visit our Homepage now to set up a free 30-minute consultation for more information! Or visit our Career page for our full list of open job positions in the SEA region!
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