How to better manage workplace relationships

An introduction to the DiSC Personality Assessment tool

We get it, there are hundreds of personality tests on the web, all trying to give you a better sense of “who you truly are.” A lot of them are scams, but a few of them turn out to be rather accurate, allowing not only the test takers to better understand their personalities but giving the management team a greater insight on how to best manage workplace relationships. 

This is especially true in hospitals or healthcare facilities where you are likely managing or working alongside 100+ employees. You couldn’t possibly spend enough time with each individual employee and come away with an accurate depiction of their personalities and behaviors.   

Smith & Jones is a big proponent of promoting successful workplace relationships and have discovered that the DiSC Personality Assessment tool does a great job at exposing our team’s personality traits and behavioral differences. This understanding helps us to work together more efficiently and get the job done more effectively, all by completing a 15-minute questionnaire. 

The ins and outs of the DiSC Personality Assessment

Developed in 1928 by a physiological psychologist, William Moulton Marston, DiSC tests four categories of emotions: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S) and Conscientiousness (C). All of which, according to Marston, stem from a person’s perceptions of self in relationship to their environment. After completing a series of questions, the assessment produces a detailed report about your personality and behavior, using a combination of the aforementioned categories of emotions (for example, Di, SC, I, etc.). 

What comes next is probably the most important part of the entire DiSC Assessment, as you’ll have a conscious grasp on how to best interact with other personality types. For example, say you work with someone who is a D personality type, which means that they’re very confident in themselves and are relentless in accomplishing results. If you’re an S, you find cooperation and dependability to be very important to you, so you might find it intimidating to work with this specific personality type.

But by acknowledging these behaviors, you can change the way you interact with this person to create a more efficient and effective relationship. So instead of shying away from expressing your opinions with a D personality, be assertive and forthcoming with your ideas. They’ll recognize this vocality and be more willing to listen to what you have to say, allowing for better communication for both parties involved.

Now you may or may not like what the DiSC assessment says about you or your behaviors, but at the end of the day, you’re given a small glimpse into the inner workings of your psyche, allowing you to better manage the relationships you’re involved in and the ones you might be managing. All of which are tactics that could be vital to the success of your hospital or health system.

If you’re interested in learning more about internal alignment strategies, read our whitepaper, Organizational Alignment for Healthcare Brands – Renewed.