Disc_Assessment_Paper

DISC Assessment Vickie Furman, Melissa Laporte, Sarah Martin, Elizabeth Spruill Thunder Cats/Team B MGT/307 May 8, 2010 Aisha Brown DISC Assessment Every person has his or her own individual dimensions of behavior. The DISC Assessment focuses on the natural tendencies that influence behavior. Each style has its unique strengths and opportunities, and there is no best style. The individual styles of the Thunder Cats will be discussed along with a brief analysis of why each agrees or disagrees with the assessment and the effect each style has on the team. Elizabeth’s behavioral style is Interactive. She agrees with the description of this style and believes it describes her very well. Some of the traits that fit her well are that Interactive Styles (I Styles) are friendly and enthusiastic. They are more relationship-oriented than task-oriented, which she is. They would rather schmooze with clients over lunch than work in the office. Elizabeth’s strengths match those of the I Styles, which are enthusiasm, charm, persuasiveness, and warmth. Those with her style are great influencers, are optimists with an abundance of charisma, and are gifted in people and communication skills with individuals as well as in groups. These qualities help her influence people and build alliances to accomplish goals (Alessandra, 2006), which are behavioral traits beneficial within a team. Vickie’s primary behavioral style is Steadiness. Warm, supporting, and nurturing are characteristics that have been used by others to describe her. She has often been referred to as “everyone’s Mom.” Steadiness individuals are loyal employees, excellent listeners, and devoted friends; they are also approachable. Steadiness styles do not welcome risk; they often tolerate unpleasant situations rather than face change. More than any other behavioral type, Steadiness types strive to maintain personal composure, stability, and balance. Vickie’s strengths match those of the Steadiness Style, which are warm, supporting, and nurturing. She is a courteous and persistent worker. She agrees wholeheartedly with the behavioral style description and also believes it describes her to a ‘T”. Melissa’s behavioral style is Dominance. This description fits Melissa well. She is constantly in need to achieve and control. Some of the other characteristic include: goal-orientated go-getters, taking authority, problem solving, and using a no-nonsense approach. The Dominance Style does not allow much room for mistakes and they become annoyed with setbacks. They are risk takers and are not afraid to bend the rules to get something done on time. During a task or assignment, Melissa usually enjoys taking charge of the planning early on so that there are fewer complications later. Melissa agrees with the style in that she would rather beg for forgiveness after bending the rules than ask for permission ahead of time. This approach is risky but may get the job done faster. Sarah is a Cautious Style. She agrees with the majority of this style. She takes her time when making decisions but is focused on her tasks. Sarah also asks many questions before making her decisions. She wants to get all the facts and information first. She prefers to have a task oriented work environment. If things are not she gets frustrated. There are many times that she is stubborn about being right. She has always thought that this was one of her weaknesses. Sarah disagrees with a portion of this style. This style says that she dislikes involvement when she would rather have the involvement then working alone. It also says that this style works slowly and precisely on their own. When Sarah does work on her own, she tends to work faster. This style has the strengths of planning, dependability, problem-solving, and systematizing. Sarah believes that this describes her very well. This style also says that weaknesses are being a perfectionist, critical, and unresponsive. She also does not believe that she has ever been unresponsive. One of the goals for this style is organization. Sarah has always been very organized, sometimes to a fault. This would not be one of her goals. Her good problem-solving skills also helps keep the team functioning well. One of Vickie’s weaknesses is that she will go along with others without being in agreement before she rocks the boat. Vickie’s style makes her an excellent team player, one that can be counted on. Melissa’s weakness is that sometimes she will want things done her way only and not consider the other options that people may have. Melissa’s strengths are the ability to delegate and plan out assignments, along with completing tasks in a timely manner. Elizabeth’s style offers the team good people and communication skills as well as a friendly, enthusiastic, and optimistic demeanor. Sarah’s behavior style, Cautious, helps the group in the way that is very task oriented. She likes setting deadlines and keeping them. She tries her best to keep everyone on task. By asking too many questions, she can sometimes hinder the team, making assignments more difficult. The DISC assessment has shown to be fairly accurate when assessing individual’s behavioral styles. The Thunder Cats have a well balanced team. This is because each member displays the traits of a different style. The Thunder Cats consist of one Interactive Style, one Steadiness Style, one Dominance Style, and one Cautious Style. These styles have contributed to a well-rounded team. References Alessandra, T., Ph.D., & O’Connor, M. J., Ph.D. (2006). People Smart in Business. New York, Morgan James Publishing, retrieved May 6, 2010 from https://uop.blanchardassessments.com/reportcontents.asp'id=238802