Using DiSC Classic with a Government Agency

Case Study: DiSC Classic Used in a Government Agency

Understanding employees work expectations and personality styles increases productivity, employee attitudes and reduces turnover.

The Client

• A county-level government with 14 departments and 126 employees

Challenge

The county was experiencing tremendous population growth, ranked as one of the fastest growing counties in the nation. This growth increasingly impacted their services. Tax revenue wasn’t keeping up with the population growth, and funds for services were scarce. Staff was constantly being asked to do more with no increase in manpower, funds, or materials. Funding for pay raises was also scarce. As a result, morale was low, and there was a growing number of employee issues. Turnover was increasing, while productivity was decreasing.

Solution

We met with the county manager and prepared a plan that involved training, organizational assessments, and manager intervention. Managers attended a training session on how to create an environment to encourage employee engagement. They took DiSC Classic 2.0 Profile and learned how to better understand employees’ differences and how to more effectively communicate with them.

We then conducted a review session with the department heads to review and debrief the Group Reports. As we examined the DiSC Classic Group Culture Report and the Work Expectations Group Report, issues emerged that began to explain the reduction in employee engagement.

The DiSC Classic Group Culture Report indicated that the management was very high in the S style. The huge growth that the organization was experiencing leads to change. However, the high-S culture can be resistant to change.

Results

As a result of the training and the analysis of the Group Reports, the county was able to map out a plan to help employees deal more effectively with change. The leadership looked for ways to help everyone become more comfortable with the change that they had to face. After using these approaches, and encouraging open discussion, morale improved and turnover declined. Several major projects were completed on time and within budget because efficiency increased and resources were able to be reallocated.

For more information about the Center for Internal Change and the Everything DiSC and DiSC Classic products we provide, please call us at (847) 259-0005.