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We have listed answers below to a number of questions we frequently receive. If you have other questions that are not listed, please get in touch.
No, you do not need to be certified to administer, use, or train with DiSC profiles. However, we do offer DiSC Certification for those that are interested:
A part of the beauty of the Everything DiSC and DiSC Classic Profiles and facilitation materials is that they are easy to understand, use, and implement. A lot of time, research and money have been invested in these materials in order to focus on the results, learnings and feedback they provide, opposed to getting stuck in models and language that mystify rather than clarify. Our facilitation materials are designed in a user-friendly, experiential-learning format designed to be used by people with all levels of training experience. They will guide you through how to interpret and conduct complete training with our profiles.
Yes!
We now offer a course called Everything DiSC Essentials. Think of this course as a ‘bite-size’ learning opportunity. It is designed to take around 4-hours to complete and is perfect for a Manager, Team Leader, or HR Administrator who should know enough about DiSC to stay ‘dangerous’, but who isn’t actively teaching DiSC in the classroom.
Once you complete certification in either Lancaster, Minneapolis, or Online you will receive a badge and certificate of ‘Everything DiSC Certified Trainer’.
In our Lancaster, PA DiSC Certification offering, we provide additional materials that we have developed over the last 30 years of facilitating DiSC. We are happy to provide those materials to participants that take the Online or Minneapolis certification options.
All versions of DiSC that Wiley publishes take around 15 to 20 minutes. However, the Everything DiSC assessments can take a shorter amount of time because they use a more advanced testing method called Adaptive Testing. Everything DiSC products can take as little as 10 minutes to complete depending on how strong a person’s inclination is with their behavioral style.
In general, a person’s profile tends to stay fairly consistent over time. While you may find small differences in your results from one time taking the assessment to the next, you’re unlikely to experience significant shifts in style.
Everything DiSC has been researched for both validity and reliability. If it has been two years or more since you last took the profile, we recommend taking it again to ensure the most accurate and up-to-date information.
The lowercase “i” in DiSC® is a Wiley trademark and which allows you to determine if you are using a DiSC Product that Wiley publishes.
Legend has it that it was initially a printing error, although some in the know have said it was done on purpose very early to put a particular “I” style person in their place. Either way, Performax (later Carlson Learning Company, Inscape Publishing, and now Wiley) decided to copyright and brand their version of DISC using the small “i” distinguishing it from other DISC based assessments.
DISC theory was initially based on the 1928 work of Dr. William Moulton Marston at Columbia University.
The four-quadrant behavioral model was developed to examine the behavior of individuals within their environmentally specific situations. DiSC looks at behavioral styles and behavioral preferences. It was Marston’s 1928 book, “The Emotions of Normal People,” which introduced the DiSC model to the public. Marston, a contemporary of Carl Jung, defined four categories of human behavior style, type, or temperament which are Dominance, Influence (Inducement), Stability (Submission) and Compliant, Conscientious or Caution. Marston used compliance.
Even though Marston developed the D.I.S.C. model, the DISC test or DISC assessment, to prove his theory of the emotions of people within their environment, he never copyrighted his test. Thus DISC is available in the public domain.
Later, the work of Marston was researched and updated by Dr. John Geier and Inscape Publishing at the University of Minnesota. The DiSC model and its complimentary assessment tools have helped over 50 million people in 20+ languages over the last 40 years.
As an added bit of trivia, Marston is known in many circles for his work in developing the lie detector test. He was also the creator, writer, and producer of “Wonder Woman” which introduced into comic strips the role model of a strong female.
The Everything DiSC model has shown that the four primary styles breakout to each represent around a quarter of the population. Below is an excerpt from that research which shows the exact distribution by all 12 styles:
The distance that a respondent’s dot is located from the center of the circle is known as inclination (in the past, we used the term “High D” or “High i” to communicate the strength of a person’s inclination).
People with stronger inclinations are expected to have more pronounced DiSC styles. The publisher of DiSC conducted an analysis and found that Caucasians were significantly more likely to have stronger inclinations than other groups. However, the effect sizes suggest that the relationship between race and inclination showed little practical importance.
In the same study, researchers compared men and women and found that the difference in their inclination (Style Strength) was less than 1% variance.
For those interested in learning more about the research of DiSC, we strongly suggest purchasing and reading the DiSC Manual.
No!
Unlike MBTI, you do not need to be certified to conduct a DiSC Workshop. DiSC is designed to be simple and easy to understand, and the facilitation materials were created to be taught by anyone. Many of our clients have purchased a DiSC facilitation kit and have conducted successful workshops without becoming DiSC Certified.
DiSC Certification was created as a way for trainers to learn more about the research behind the newest model of DiSC. Trainers that take certification will primarily gain a deeper understanding of the model and the training when conducting a workshop. For those interested in becoming certified, we offer both an In-Person DiSC Certification and an Online DiSC Certification course.
EPIC is a online administrative platform for DiSC, and other legacy John Wiley & Sons products. EPIC is an acronym for Electronic Profile Information Center. Organizations with an EPIC account have full access and control over the creation and storage of their profiles.
We offer EPIC starter packages for those interested in becoming the administrator for their organization’s DiSC profiles.
The Center for Internal Change, a Division of The TEAM Approach, conducts monthly EPIC 101 Webinars which are free to join.
Our organization is always excited to help our clients learn how to use their EPIC account more effectively. Feel free to call us directly for any immediate questions or concerns: (847) 259-0005
Everything DiSC is the 3rd generation of the DiSC Profile published by Wiley. This report features the circular model (circumplex), which is most aligned with the original model designed by Marston. This product is only available online and includes access to MyEverythingDiSC.
DiSC Classic is the original DiSC profile published by Wiley. This product is available in both paper and online formats.
While the publisher has conducted extensive research regarding the validity of DiSC; it is important to note that DiSC is not validated for hiring, and the publisher doesn’t encourage the use of DiSC in hiring. For this reason, we suggest our clients evaluate the PXT Select Assessment to be used as a selection assessment.
For those that want to use DiSC to conduct behavioral interviews, we suggest using the Everything DiSC Workplace report to ensure they are receiving the most accurate results. Read our best practices when using DiSC for Hiring.
Yes! Language availability varies based on the specific DiSC product. Please call or email us and let us know which report and language you are looking for, and we will tell you if it is available.
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (847) 259-0005
Everything DiSC Catalyst is a new assessment published by John Wiley & Sons.
When a learner completes their Everything DiSC Catalyst assessment, they will receive access to a platform that they will use to better understand themselves and how to use DiSC to improve interpersonal relationships.
Catalyst was designed to make it easier so trainers and coaches can add new training modules to a learner's Catalyst account. Catalyst provides trainers, coaches, and learning & development professionals to ability to give their learners access to:
On this platform, learners can easily connect with those in their organization. A learner is placed in their organization before they take the assessment, and they are immediately connected once they complete their assessment.
No. Only learners who have previously taken an Everything DiSC or DiSC Classic 2.0 assessment are eligible for the free upgrade (until December 31, 2023). For learners who have never taken DiSC before, the cost is 15 credits.
Everything DiSC Workplace, Agile EQ, and Management are currently available on Catalyst. Here are all of the applications that you will be able to use on Catalyst:
You will issue the assessment by logging into EPIC and going to Manage Reports>Create New Report/Issue Access Code(s). Select "Everything DiSC" as the product family and "Catalyst: Workplace" as the product. When you get to adding respondents, be sure to use the "use existing reports" tab to take advantage of the free upgrade.
Check out this quick video to see how this process is done: https://youtu.be/BuAF2-oqIkU
The Catalyst assessment asks questions from multiple applications: Workplace, Management, Agile EQ, and Productive Conflict. If a learner previously completed one of these assessments and their existing data is used, the assessment will take 5-10 minutes to complete. If a learner is upgrading from DiSC Classic or has never taken a DiSC assessment, it will take 20-30 minutes.
No! We will always recommend using the facilitation materials to provide learners with the best possible experience. However, they are not required to use Catalyst. These materials are free to download for registered Workplace kit holders.
Yes, learners will need access to Catalyst during virtual training. However, Catalyst is not a video conferencing platform. To conduct the virtual facilitation, you will use your own video conferencing tool with learners while they are logged into their individual Catalyst platform. We recommend learners bring Catalyst up on a different screen or device to avoid toggling back and forth.
Yes!
Materials are now available to use Catalyst for in-person workshops.
Catalyst is the new learner platform that will change the DiSC experience for your learners. They will still receive the same content you're used to with Everything DiSC Workplace, but it will be delivered through the Catalyst platform rather than solely through a PDF.
Learners on Catalyst will still have access to a PDF copy of their report, but it won't be the central part of their DiSC profile.
No. Catalyst is a separate product, so you must issue an access code for Catalyst: Workplace. Until December 31, 2023, you can take advantage of the free upgrade from Everything DiSC Workplace to Catalyst. However, your learners must respond to additional assessment questions before they can access the Catalyst platform, so if you're considering Catalyst, it is best to make the switch in advance.
Learners will need access to email to create a Catalyst account and take the online assessment. Catalyst is designed for learners to continue logging onto the Catalyst website to learn more and gain real-time tips about working with colleagues. For this reason, Catalyst may not be suited for learners who have limited access to a computer or smart device.
Yes. Learners will receive access to their results and to the Catalyst platform immediately upon completing the assessment. This provides a streamlined leaner experience and aligns with today’s expectations of online learning. Trainers wishing to delay the delivery of DiSC information should consider Everything DiSC Workplace instead.
Yes. Learners are able to download the PDF version of their profile from the Catalyst website. However, all of the same information in the report is available through the Catalyst platform along with additional information in videos and podcasts.
Anyone who has taken Catalyst within that organization. Organizations with different locations can be treated as separate organizations for the purpose of the People section in Catalyst. There is no option to not allow a person's profile to not show up in this section.
Yes!
Learners are able to turn their account to 'private.' This ability will not allow anyone else to view or compare DiSC styles with the learner.
No. MyEverythingDiSC is not available for new Everything DiSC Catalyst learners.
However, if you previously had access to MyEverythingDiSC, and you upgraded your profile to Catalyst, you will still have access to MyEverythingDiSC while this resource is available.
Absolutely! We always recommend experiencing DiSC for yourself before sharing it with others. If you already have a DiSC Classic or Everything DiSC assessment, you can experience Catalyst for free any time between now and December 31st, 2023.