Global DISC ™ - Frequently Asked Questions
There are over 5,000 definitions of “culture”. A simplified approach is to define culture as group behaviour driven by how values and needs are prioritised. A culture group shares specific experiences and characteristics, shaping how its members understand and act in the world. Culture is like a users’ manual for the group that determines behaviours within its environment.
We all belong to several cultural groups simultaneously, such as country/nationality, regions, ethnicity, gender, generation, profession, company or family.
Cultural intelligence is about changing perspectives, to understand the logic of why people think and act differently. It is not so much about ‘dos and don’ts or etiquette rules in different countries, but about cognitive diversity.
Culturally intelligent people in business are leveraging differences to find new ways of working together and solving problems, which significantly increases employee engagement and the overall outcome.
Cultural intelligence is the foundation of success in global business.
People around the world have different ways of thinking and behaving, which is influenced by their cultural background. Today’s workforce is diverse. Everyone belongs to several cultural groups simultaneously, such as country/nationality, regions, ethnicity, gender, generation, profession, company or family. Diversity is not optional. It is there already.
Companies should aim for an inclusive environment as diversity without inclusion turns into a liability. The main challenge is to build a common ground so people can make the most of their differences to create a superior performance.
Global DISC ™ is an ICF accredited, multi-award-winning, assessment-based learning and development experience to leverage individual and group mindsets.
Global DISC ™ explains WHAT, HOW and WHY people think and behave differently and how to turn their diversity into synergy. It introduces cultural intelligence by using the language of the widely used behavioural model DISC.
Different personality types have been researched for centuries, leading to various ways of categorising behavioural styles. The book Emotions of Normal People, published by William Moulton Marston in the 1920s, forms the theoretical basis for the DISC Model of Behaviour. DISC is still widely used in companies worldwide to assess behaviour styles and preferences in teams and leaders.
Global DISC ™ was developed by Csaba Toth of ICQ Global in the UK to meet the new challenges of a fast-paced, globalised 21st century. By taking cognitive diversity and cultural intelligence into account, Csaba lifted the Standard DISC to the next level.
Global DISC ™ explains how personality type (Standard DISC) AND cultural background influence individuals, teams, and leaders in any (international) business situation. It combines the latest business data with academically validated research based on cultural intelligence into a practical framework to help recognise and optimise behaviour in a culturally diverse, globalised work environment.
Most intercultural models were developed in the last century. They were designed for a specific purpose under specific conditions and have not changed much. Almost all intercultural models use average scores of test results obtained many decades ago and entirely focus on people’s country of origin/nationality.
Today’s workforce is culturally and globally diverse. We also know that people’s cultural background is not only defined by their nationality. We all belong to at least 15-20 different cultural groups, such as nationalities, ethnicities, regions, genders, generations, professions, companies, etc.– and they all shape our behaviour and values, which can be rather different to the average national expectations.
And what are the chances of meeting a statistically average person anyway? Or how could we be an expert in 100s of different countries, ethnicities, generations, or professions?
This is why Global DISC ™ is so much more than an intercultural model. Global DISC ™ explains how personality and cultural background – beyond a person’s nationality – shape the way we act, feel and think. It helps recognise behaviour differences in a culturally diverse, globalised environment so that efficient, more productive working relations can be fostered.
Global DISC ™ has already benefited thousands of individuals, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, universities and entrepreneurs to work more successfully in a globalised, culturally diverse world.
Individuals: The individual Global DISC ™ assessment can be used by anyone irrespective of their job role or career level to understand workplace behaviour better and develop more robust, productive relationships with others.
Companies: Many companies focus on recruiting a diverse team but are struggling to make it work. When people don’t get along, the problem isn’t incompatibility. It is usually inflexibility AND a lack of self-awareness and cultural intelligence.
Global DISC ™ shows mindset and cultural gaps between individuals, within groups/teams or in comparison to target countries. The assessment and development tool measures the cognitive diversity of a group, the deep layers of diversity that make or break a team. It also measures the gaps between two or more individuals, different groups, or an individual/group and 40 target countries or 16 DISC styles.
Taking the Global DISC ™ individual online assessment only takes five minutes. An individual report of 42 pages (including a built-in 40min online course using augmented reality) provides a detailed insight into personality type and cultural orientation in business.
Individual results can be compared with other individuals, teams, 50 country profiles and 16 DISC styles.
After the assessment process, we can support you with a range of virtual coaching options provided by our global network of highly-experienced Global DISC ™ Practitioners as well as successful leadership, career and intercultural coaches. They ensure that you fully understand your report and maximise the learning, unlocking your potential in global business.
After receiving your assessment, you can also opt for Global DISC ™ Quest, a 3-months interactive app based on individual Global DISC ™ results. There are 21 missions designed to push you out of your comfort zone to enhance your behavioural flexibility and growth mindset dramatically.
Our Global DISC corporate solution includes multiple assessments and unlimited reports showing mindset and cultural gaps between individuals, within groups/teams/departments or in comparison to specific target countries. Please contact us to specify details and prices.
After the assessment process, we can support you with a range of virtual or in-person coaching and training options provided by our global network of highly-experienced Global DISC ™ Practitioners as well as the most successful leadership and team development coaches. They ensure that you fully understand your reports and maximise the learning, unlocking your organisation’s potential to develop a genuinely globally-minded workforce and establish a culture of inclusion and productive collaboration.
An individual Global DISC ™report of 42 pages (including a built-in 40min online course using augmented reality) provides a detailed insight into personality type and cultural orientation in business. You will receive actionable strategies to improve your interactions when working with other people or in diverse teams. Individual results can be compared with other individuals, teams, 50 country profiles and 16 DISC styles.
You can download a Global DISC sample report here.
An individual Global DISC ™ report of 42 pages (including a built-in 40min online course using augmented reality) provides a detailed insight into personality type and cultural orientation in business. Individual results can then be shown in comparison to 50 different country profiles :
Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam
Each employee receives an Individual Report to deepen self-awareness. People gain insight into their preferences and tendencies at work based on their personality type and cultural background. They learn more about relating to others and receive actionable strategies to improve their interactions when working within diverse teams or with global business partners.
Individual results can be compared with other individuals, teams, 50 country profiles and 16 DISC styles. Furthermore, corporate clients can request unlimited reports showing mindset and cultural gaps between selected individuals, within groups/teams/departments or in comparison to specific target countries/cultures.
Team leaders benefit the most from Group Reports that measure a team’s cognitive diversity index and reveal their blind spots. The more significant a gap, the more potential a team has for success or failure, depending on how they turn differences into synergy after suitable training and coaching. Team reports can also be compared with other groups, 50 country profiles and 16 DISC styles.
Team members can be provided with a Fast-Teaming Passport, showing each team member’s personal and cultural preferences when working together. The goal is to reduce assumptions, misunderstandings and significantly improve communication and psychological safety within the team.
Please contact us to specify details and prices.
Global DISC ™ offers many applications to unlock potential within and between people across all cultures and personalities, such as
Companies and organisations spend a fortune on recruiting the best talent worldwide, but they are often struggling to make their diverse teams work well together. When people don’t seem to get along, the problem isn’t incompatibility. It is usually inflexibility AND a lack of self-awareness and cultural intelligence.
Global DISC ™ detects these mindset and cultural gaps within teams. With Global DISC ™ corporate solution you can measure a team’s cognitive diversity, the deeper layers of diversity making or breaking a team.
Global Leadership Development:
Global DISC ™ supports leaders who work with diverse teams. The portfolio of reports provides many tips and strategies on how to communicate and collaborate with people of different cultural background and personality type. Leaders quickly understand the needs and priorities of their diverse team members while being aware of their tendencies and values when leading others. Successful leaders develop a high level of cultural intelligence, which equals their ability to manage and serve people from different cultural backgrounds.
For organisations with leadership development programs, Global DISC ™ can provide an added dimension, developing employees’ global competencies and their effectiveness in a global business environment. The assessment report can be integrated into their future career planning or be readily available in the selection process for international assignments.
International Sales & Customer Service:
With Global DISC ™, sales teams develop a deeper understanding of what drives them when selling products and services to others. At the same time, they learn how to gain vital information about the needs and expectations of their customers around the world based on observable personality type and cultural background.
Treating customers the way they want to be treated is profitable. The more diverse your market, the more you need to understand what drives and satisfies your customers and adapt selling techniques accordingly.
Organisations in a dynamic global marketplace are constantly undergoing change. Change is a vital part of long-term success, yet, all too often, change initiatives fail due to employee resistance to change and a lack of commitment during the transition.
Global DISC ™ is a very powerful tool to assess and develop employees on key change competencies. By understanding what personalities and cultures are represented in the organisation and how they tend to react towards change, we can better navigate the change process. Ignore change issues within a global workforce, and the probability of delay and failure increases. Have a multidimensional blueprint, and your organisation will thrive.
Diversity is any dimension to differentiate groups of people or individuals from one another. It means respect for and appreciation of differences, such as ethnicity, gender, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, education, or religion.
Inclusion is a state of being valued, respected, supported and listened to. It is about focusing on the needs of every individual and ensuring the right conditions are in place for each person to achieve their full potential. In simple terms, diversity is the mix; inclusion is getting the mix to work well together.
In today’s globalised business world, diversity and inclusion are more than just buzz words. From sales and marketing to employee motivation, leaders and managers need to understand how to address their employees’ diverse backgrounds to motivate them to give their best efforts to the organisation’s benefit. Multiple studies have shown that diverse teams are consistently 12-25% more productive than their non-diverse counterparts due to their abilities to identify and solve the needs and challenges of their customers better.
With Global DISC ™, companies and organisations achieve increased employee satisfaction, increased employee productivity and increased customer satisfaction.
The Global DISC ™ assessment and development tool supports organisations and candidates planning for international assignments in many ways. First of all it measures personality traits needed to cope well with change and cultural adaptation in general. It reliably predicts how individuals will respond to the personal and professional challenges of working abroad.
Global DISC ™ also identifies the strengths and risk areas for individual candidates in up to 50 different target countries. The assessment compares an individuals’ profile with the cultural profile of a selected target country, providing specific advice on how to adapt best using specific individual strengths and improve potential cultural weaknesses. Coaching or training opportunities can be tailored based on assessment results to meet needs prior to and during their international assignment.
Please contact us to specify details and prices.
