Researchers find Social Style model better than Myers-Briggs or DISC
Simpler really is better. That’s the conclusion of a study comparing three training programs in interpersonal skills — the Social Style model, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) and DISC (an acronym for dominance, influence, steadiness and conscientiousness).
Researchers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., said the Social Style model beat out MBTI and DISC on two counts — participants’ ability to retain key concepts and to apply the learning.
On retention of key concepts, Social Style participants in the study An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Three Popular Training Program to Improve Interpersonal Skills scored 18-per-cent higher than DISC participants and 34-per-cent higher than MBTI participants.
On applying their learning with others, Social Style trainees showed a 47-per-cent improvement over DISC and a 280-per-cent improvement over MBTI. The study evaluated more than 200 people participating in training programs.
“I was not surprised that Social Style is easier to understand. It’s a more user-friendly tool. I was surprised by the difference between the effectiveness of the programs,” said Stephen Kirkpatrick, founder and chief learning officer of Regis Learning Solutions, a Colorado-based training provider, and co-author of the study, which will be presented at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association in August this year.
(While the training for the study was conducted by certified instructors from each of the programs’ publishers, it’s worth noting Regis Learning provides workshops in Social Style to its clients.)
There’s nothing simple for employers, however, about choosing an interpersonal skills assessment tool when most third-party training providers have set preferences among the multitudes of programs on the market, said John Rankin, executive director of The Niagara Institute in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. (which offers MBTI, among other training tools).
But the study was not about comparing the three tools, said Kirkpatrick.
“That’s like comparing Chinese to Indian to Japanese food,” he said. “They are all good and why would you say one is better than the other? The question is for those wanting to improve performance in the workplace, which has the better impact?”
The study did show there were very positive reactions to all three training tools by participants, he said.
Joy Humphrey, managing partner at Excel Group Development in Calgary, has been trained in both Social Style and DISC (Excel offers the latter to clients). She said Social Style may have shown better immediate results in this study because it is the simplest tool of the three options. However, just because a tool is easy doesn’t mean it offers the best learning, she said.
“When choosing a tool, what’s really important for employers to ask themselves is what is it they’re trying to measure, and how will employees apply that knowledge?” she said.
The MBTI differs from the other two models in that it is a personality assessment tool, not a behaviour assessment tool, and generally thought to be the most complex, said Humphrey. (Kirkpatrick said they included MBTI in the study because most employers generally choose from the three.)
DISC is getting better, and it’s extensive and broader, said Tom Grbich, president of Calgary-based Leading for Success (which does not promote one particular tool over another).
“The problem with any of these tools is that people love to hear about themselves,” said Grbich. “And without a proper application, it’s a bit like reading your horoscope. You get some neat information about yourself, and then you put it in a drawer and go back to work.”
The type of tool chosen may not be as important as how it’s taught, said Rankin. “You’ve got to have experienced facilitators or coaches offering the tools. They can look at the data, make sure employees understand it and then, most importantly, develop a plan they can use so they are more effective in the workplace.”
Lesley Young is a Newmarket, Ont.-based freelance writer.
Snapshot
Interpersonal skills testing tools
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): Tests how a person thinks and feels internally (as opposed to DISC and Social Style which test behaviour). MBTI assesses a person’s preference for four psychologically opposing pairs or dichotomies (for a total of 16 combinations): extraversion, introversion; sensing, intuition; thinking, feeling; judging, perceiving.
DISC: Tests the behaviour of individuals. The assessment classifies four aspects of behavior: dominance (relating to control, power, assertiveness); influence (relating to social situations and communication); steadiness (relating to patience, persistence, thoughtfulness); and conscientiousness (relating to structure and organization). These are then further broken out into a grid of dimensions that include assertive or passive, open or guarded.
Social Style: Tests the behaviour of individuals. Gauges a person on two dimensions of human behaviour (or social styles): assertiveness (the degree to which an individual tends to ask or tell) and responsiveness (the degree to which an individual tends to control or emote). The combination of these degrees reveals a Social Style: analytical (ask and control), driving (tell and control), expressive (tell and emote) or amiable (ask and emote).
Researchers at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., said the Social Style model beat out MBTI and DISC on two counts — participants’ ability to retain key concepts and to apply the learning.
On retention of key concepts, Social Style participants in the study An Evaluation of the Effectiveness of Three Popular Training Program to Improve Interpersonal Skills scored 18-per-cent higher than DISC participants and 34-per-cent higher than MBTI participants.
On applying their learning with others, Social Style trainees showed a 47-per-cent improvement over DISC and a 280-per-cent improvement over MBTI. The study evaluated more than 200 people participating in training programs.
“I was not surprised that Social Style is easier to understand. It’s a more user-friendly tool. I was surprised by the difference between the effectiveness of the programs,” said Stephen Kirkpatrick, founder and chief learning officer of Regis Learning Solutions, a Colorado-based training provider, and co-author of the study, which will be presented at the annual conference of the American Psychological Association in August this year.
(While the training for the study was conducted by certified instructors from each of the programs’ publishers, it’s worth noting Regis Learning provides workshops in Social Style to its clients.)
There’s nothing simple for employers, however, about choosing an interpersonal skills assessment tool when most third-party training providers have set preferences among the multitudes of programs on the market, said John Rankin, executive director of The Niagara Institute in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont. (which offers MBTI, among other training tools).
But the study was not about comparing the three tools, said Kirkpatrick.
“That’s like comparing Chinese to Indian to Japanese food,” he said. “They are all good and why would you say one is better than the other? The question is for those wanting to improve performance in the workplace, which has the better impact?”
The study did show there were very positive reactions to all three training tools by participants, he said.
Joy Humphrey, managing partner at Excel Group Development in Calgary, has been trained in both Social Style and DISC (Excel offers the latter to clients). She said Social Style may have shown better immediate results in this study because it is the simplest tool of the three options. However, just because a tool is easy doesn’t mean it offers the best learning, she said.
“When choosing a tool, what’s really important for employers to ask themselves is what is it they’re trying to measure, and how will employees apply that knowledge?” she said.
The MBTI differs from the other two models in that it is a personality assessment tool, not a behaviour assessment tool, and generally thought to be the most complex, said Humphrey. (Kirkpatrick said they included MBTI in the study because most employers generally choose from the three.)
DISC is getting better, and it’s extensive and broader, said Tom Grbich, president of Calgary-based Leading for Success (which does not promote one particular tool over another).
“The problem with any of these tools is that people love to hear about themselves,” said Grbich. “And without a proper application, it’s a bit like reading your horoscope. You get some neat information about yourself, and then you put it in a drawer and go back to work.”
The type of tool chosen may not be as important as how it’s taught, said Rankin. “You’ve got to have experienced facilitators or coaches offering the tools. They can look at the data, make sure employees understand it and then, most importantly, develop a plan they can use so they are more effective in the workplace.”
Lesley Young is a Newmarket, Ont.-based freelance writer.
Snapshot
Interpersonal skills testing tools
Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI): Tests how a person thinks and feels internally (as opposed to DISC and Social Style which test behaviour). MBTI assesses a person’s preference for four psychologically opposing pairs or dichotomies (for a total of 16 combinations): extraversion, introversion; sensing, intuition; thinking, feeling; judging, perceiving.
DISC: Tests the behaviour of individuals. The assessment classifies four aspects of behavior: dominance (relating to control, power, assertiveness); influence (relating to social situations and communication); steadiness (relating to patience, persistence, thoughtfulness); and conscientiousness (relating to structure and organization). These are then further broken out into a grid of dimensions that include assertive or passive, open or guarded.
Social Style: Tests the behaviour of individuals. Gauges a person on two dimensions of human behaviour (or social styles): assertiveness (the degree to which an individual tends to ask or tell) and responsiveness (the degree to which an individual tends to control or emote). The combination of these degrees reveals a Social Style: analytical (ask and control), driving (tell and control), expressive (tell and emote) or amiable (ask and emote).
