Four Ways Different DiSC Styles Behave at Work

We all have to work as part of a team, even if we work independently some of the time. Whether you are a leader, manager, team coach, or even family member, building a high performing team is an ongoing challenge.

Take a moment to consider the different teams around you – leadership teams, management teams, business areas. These days we are commonly part of many different teams. I always find it fascinating that different people have different relationships and create different dynamics when working together.

As humans, we are, mostly and hopefully, conscious of the diversity of values, beliefs, personalities, and behaviours that make up a team. A team is definitely a sum of its parts. Some teams work incredibly well and achieve great things together; other teams fall apart at the first hurdle.

So why do some teams work so well together?

At Fruitful, when working with teams, our consultants want to first understand where the team is currently and then where the team want to go, including the vision, mission, values and the culture it would like and need to create.

Step one includes understanding the team performance from both a collective and individual perspective. We may use?Team Performance Scan?to assess the current performance of the team. We would also use the?Everything DiSC behavioural profiling?tool to assess and understand the behavioural styles of each team member.

Both of these reports would be used to understand the performance and dynamics of the team, but the tools go further than diagnosis. Through debriefing, exercises, and team days, the team would develop their understanding of themselves, of their group and come up with practical strategies to help them grow and adapt as both individuals and as a collective.

Part of the process would be helping team members to get to a point of unconditional regard and genuine appreciation for everyone in the group. We are all different, but harnessing these differences is what builds a truly successful and unique team. Recognising and building a diverse, inclusive team that celebrates and understands the differing approaches, allowing everyone to bring their strengths to the table, is the ultimate goal.

Let’s consider these four areas of work and how different behavioural styles might approach them:

Meetings?–?are you a meeting lover or loather? What we want from a meeting and how we behave in meetings can often be linked to our DiSC profile. Someone who associates most with the ‘D’ style, for example, tends to prefer minimal small talk and wants to get down to business, sticking to the meeting agenda and timings. Whereas an ‘i’ style may typically like to have open discussions where ideas can flow, and they can express themselves fully. Both styles have their place and are needed, but too much of one style can lead to a one-sided approach to business or alienation of other team members. When team members can recognise, accommodate, and maximise each other’s preferences, they can create a blueprint for their meetings that ensure meetings are focused on results and deliver the required actions.

Project work –?your team has a project to work on, and there’s a tight deadline and key milestones that must be hit along the way. Who picks up the project and runs with it? Who ensures the milestones are not just noted but met on time??Different team members may have conflicting ideas of the best way to approach a project. A ‘D’ style might naturally lean towards taking charge and delegating tasks, whereas an ‘S’ style might look for harmony in the group and ensure everyone’s ideas are heard. Someone whose preferences are in the ‘C’ quadrant is more likely to be mindful of documenting the project and processes and keeping track of those deadlines. How would your team cope? Do the different behavioural styles clash or recognise that they can complement each other?

Task avoidance –?if your team has too many similar behavioural styles, then it’s likely that everyone will enjoy carrying out the same tasks whilst simultaneously avoiding other tasks. If you lack ‘C’ styles in your team, for example, then key details and areas around compliance or even legalities might be missed. Whereas leaning towards ‘i’ styles could mean too much blue-sky or big picture thinking with a tendency to avoid more menial seeming tasks. Of course, the ideal mix is a blend of preferences and behaviours to ensure all tasks are covered.

Negotiating skills?– how you approach negotiating is as individual as you are, and, like any of the areas we have mentioned, it is a generalisation that each behavioural style approaches negotiating in the same way. That said, our tendencies and preferences can make some people better suited to negotiation. An ‘i’ style negotiator is likely to be friendly and wants to build rapport with the other party, whereas an ‘S’ style is more likely to be a good listener and compromise with the other party.

Improving team performance all starts with a better understanding. Having the tools and awareness to ensure you’re building a diverse, cohesive team will go a long way to guarantee you’re setting yourself up for collaboration, increased productivity and better results.??

For more information about Team Performance Scan and Everything DiSC,?contact the Fruitful team.