Jul 31, 2024
all you need is love (and a disc profile)

How DISC helps the team work effectively together

“She’s just so disorganised – it drives me crazy!”. 

“He thinks I am disorganised and although it may look that way, I know exactly where everything is, I have a real feel for who is doing what and hang it all, I just work better when I am juggling several tasks at once. No mention at all of how I get so much stuff done and I make it look effortless!”

Twins run in our family. When the children are small and share a bedroom, it is easy to spot when you open the door, and you see the difference between structured and unstructured offspring!  

One side of the room is neat and tidy, clothes and toys are put away, the bed is made, and you can see the floor. It is almost like the invisible fence across the middle of the room protected this twin from the hurricane which has swept through the other twin’s side of the bedroom!  

The same happens in the workplace when structured people work with unstructured colleagues. We have a family saying: “rejoice in the differences!” It really does take all sorts to make a beautiful world and this is one of the most noticeable differences in people.

Did you ever get offered a lift in someone’s car? Some of our cars look like they have just been driven out of the showroom; they even smell new! Others, as you open the passenger door you watch the driver clear the seat so there is space to sit! Since the evolution of the paperless office, it has become less physically visible in the office environment, but if you ever catch a glimpse of someone’s desktop, you can spot it! The three thousand documents (the important stuff we need all the time!) and plenty of apps open on one screen versus 6 tidy icons on another, which lead to organised folders and files with a nice screenshot image in clear view! 

Does being organised result in better efficiency? Does structure stifle creativity and ideation? 

Does an unstructured approach create difficulties for your colleagues? Does a lack of structure mean you are no good at your job?

Have you ever stopped to consider the impact of this difference on your colleagues and teams?

Both ‘behaviours’ exist. Both approaches are useful. To add to this debate, this isn’t just about how people behave – it is about the culture, environment and working practices which underpin an organisation. All businesses have structure and processes – they have to have these things to succeed.  

Some businesses allow more freedom when applying and complying with their “system”. The environmental differences are often intrinsic to the brand. Imagine walking into a commercial law firm with a ping pong table and bean bags in the foyer for the employees to come to visit to let off steam and develop their ideas.  

Imagine walking into a creative agency with a formal, dark, wooden-panelled board room for your meeting. Consider the way you dress and conduct yourself at an interview to join different types of organisations. Is one better than another?  

No, they are just different. 

DISC provides insight, defining who is bringing what to the table. It can be a real game changer for many organisations. 

Having worked with tens of thousands of learners using this tool, this area of structured or unstructured, is often one of the biggest areas of potential conflict, frustration and challenges between colleagues.  

It can damage and ultimately destroy relationships, it can create confusion and erode good teamwork.  In love, we are often attracted to opposites, so if you are a disorganised person in life, you often attract and need a list maker to help the relationship thrive.  

In the workplace, we tend to gravitate towards people who are like us and the structured or unstructured behaviours can often polarise and bring judgement into workplace relationships.  

The tools we use identify the differences in this area and the ways colleagues can stretch when needed and reach a point of deep understanding. 

And if you’d like to find out how DISC might work in your business, or perhaps the businesses you work with, I’d be happy to have a chat.

Keeping things simple in a complicated world.

To learn more about the DISC tool and how you can learn to identify different DISC styles. Come along to our free lunchtime session. Full of powerful insight into the world of Everything DiSC® (part of the Wiley group) in just 30 minutes you will learn something! We run a learning session every Monday.

If you are a people development expert, independent consultant or coach and would like to benefit from a like-minded and supportive network of people get in touch at discover@discsimple.com to find out how you can become an associate.