The AMA DISC Survey(cid:153) Facilitator(cid:146)s Manual AMERICAN MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION Copyright ' 2000, Center for Applied Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The AMA DISC Survey(cid:153) American Management Association. Copyright ' 2000 Center for Applied Research, Inc. The AMA DISC Survey was developed by Robert A. Cooke, Ph.D. and is based on Dr. William M. Marston(cid:146)s D.I.S.C. model of personal styles. Facilitator(cid:146)s Manual developed by Janet L. Szumal, Ph.D., and Robert A. Cooke, Ph.D. ISBN: 978-0-8144-7087-9 Contents Sections Introduction .................................................................1 Administering and Scoring the Survey ........................9 Providing a Basic Debriefing .....................................13 Providing an Expanded Debriefing ............................19 Using theDebriefing Guide .......................................29 Appendixes A: Survey Norms and Reliability ....................................39 B: Sample Program Designs .........................................47 C: Transparency Masters ..............................................57 D: Frequently Asked Questions .....................................79 Introduction The AMA DISC Survey The AMA DISC Survey is a personal styles survey that focuses on the ways in which people approach their work and relate to others within their organizations. The survey is based on William Marston(cid:146)s D.I.S.C. framework1 and measures four basic styles of behavior: Directing, Influencing, Supportive, and Contemplative. Each of the styles measured by The AMA DISC Surveyhas its strong points as well as possible weaknesses. Thus, none of the styles measured by the survey are inherently better or worse than the others. More importantly, all of the styles can contribute to (or potentially detract from) the effective functioning of groups and organizations. The AMA DISC Surveytakes approximately 30 to 40 minutes to administer, score, and debrief. ADebriefing Guideaccompanies the survey and can be used to facilitate more extensive discus- sion, interpretation, and application of the survey results. 1 2 u The AMA DISC Survey Facilitator(cid:146)s Manual The Advantages of Using The AMA DISC Survey In addition to The AMA DISC Survey, a number of personal style assessment systems and surveys have been developed based on Marston(cid:146)s D.I.S.C. framework. These include DiSC(cid:153) (Carlson Learning Systems), Relationship Insights (LifeQueste), discusfi (Axiom Software), and Professional Dynametric Programs (Four Corners). As shown in the table below, these D.I.S.C. systems and surveys focus on similar styles, though the names of the styles differ. D I S C William Marston Dominance Inducement Submission Compliance (Integrative Psychology, 1931) The AMA DISC Survey(cid:153) Directing Influencing Supportive Contemplative (American Management Association) DiSC(cid:153) Dominance Influence Steadiness Conscientious- (Carlson Learning ness Systems) Relationship Insights Dominant/ Influencing/ Steady/ Compliant/ (LifeQueste) Driver Inspiring Stable Correct discusfi Dominance Influence Steadiness Compliance (Axiom Software) Professional Dynametric Dominance Extroversion Pace/ Structure/ Programs Patience Detail (Four Corners) D.I.S.C. Systems, Surveys, and Styles The AMA DISC Survey(American Management Association) has Survey Features several unique features that provide distinct advantages over u Work-related alternative personal style assessments. These include: u Reliable and valid The Survey is explicitly oriented toward work-related behav- u Self-scoring iors. The instructions and the items make it clear that respon- u Efficient dents should focus on their on-the-job behavior within their current organizations. This helps to eliminate confusion about whether they should answer in terms of work or non-work behaviors. The Survey is designed to enhance reliability and validity. The AMA DISC Surveypresents items one at a time so that respondents can evaluate each item in a way that is not affected 1 u Introduction 3 by the other items. This design minimizes potential contamination in survey responses and meets accepted standards of instrument construction and validation. In contrast, certain other personal style surveys present items in sets of four and ask respondents to indicate which of the items are most and least like them. Such forced-choice techniques (referred to asipsative measures) arti- ficially eliminate information about the true strength of individual characteristics and violate assumptions that must be met to sta- tistically test the measure.2 The reliability and validity of The AMA DISC Survey is described in Appendix A of this manual and in Appendix 1 of theDebriefing Guide. The Survey is printed on NCR (no carbon required) paper. This type of paper automatically transfers participants(cid:146) responses to a sheet that describes how to score and profile the results. Since the scoring sheet is glued to the sheet on which the ques- tions appear, participants do not know the implications of their answers until after they have completed the survey and have separated the scoring sheet from the response sheet. This fea- ture helps to minimize contamination in responses while, at the same time, enables respondents to score and profile their results. (In contrast, surveys that use (cid:147)scratch-off(cid:148) or (cid:147)magic pen(cid:148) tech- niques inadvertently provide respondents with insights into their answers that can influence, and, therefore, threaten the validity of, their subsequent responses.) The Survey provides an efficient way for people to learn about their styles. On average, it takes respondents a total of 20 to 25 minutes to complete the survey, calculate their scores, and plot the results on a bar chart. A basic debriefing of the results can be provided in approximately 10 to 15 minutes. A more extensive debriefing, that incorporates the Debriefing Guide and includes a more sophisticated plotting method that enables people to understand their underlying orientations, can be con- ducted in 1‰ to 2… hours. The AMA DISC Survey Debriefing Guide The AMA DISC Surveycomes with aDebriefing Guidethat Debriefing Guide includes seven modules, each of which take approximately 5 to Features 10 minutes to complete. The Debriefing Guide provides facilita- u Informative tors and respondents with a variety of options for understanding u Interactive and applying The AMA DISC Survey. u Developmental The Guide provides interpretations of dominant styles, as u Flexible well as style combinations. The AMA DISC Survey Debriefing Guide contains interpretations for single styles and combina- tions of styles. Thus, participants should be able to find informa- 4 u The AMA DISC Survey Facilitator(cid:146)s Manual tion that is relevant to understanding their own unique set of results. The Guideencourages participants to apply the information presented. Each module guides participants in using the infor- mation they(cid:146)ve acquired to better understand themselves and to identify ways of enhancing their personal and interpersonal effec- tiveness. The Guideenables participants to examine the positive and negative aspects of their styles.The AMA DISC Survey measures both productive and counterproductive aspects of each style. While results along these aspects are combined when respondents initially plot their results, the Debriefing Guide contains scoring options that allow respondents to examine the productive versus counterproductive aspects of their styles. The Guide is oriented toward self-development. The initial modules of theDebriefing Guidehelp participants to better under- stand their current styles. Subsequent modules guide them in developing strategies for adjusting their styles and enhancing their personal and interpersonal effectiveness. The Guide can be used in a number of ways. For example, the Debriefing Guide can be used during the training program (as exercises or as part of the debriefing) or as a follow-up assignment. Each module contains an overview and instructions and therefore can be completed without a facilitator present. Alternatively, the modules can serve as the basis for various group activities, as described in Section 5 of this manual. Additionally, you can opt to have participants complete only a subset of the modules during your program, depending on your time frame and training objectives. When to Use The AMA DISC Survey The AMA DISC Surveyis designed and intended to be used exclusively for individual, group, and organizational develop- ment. (The survey is not designed nor normed for employee selection or appraisal purposes.) The survey is equally suitable for managers, work group or team members, and individual con- tributors. The personal styles measured by the survey are rele- vant to programs focusing on personal development, problem solving and decision making, time management, interpersonal relations, conflict management, team building, and organization- al change. 1 u Introduction 5 Using theSurvey to Improve Personal Effectiveness.The Uses AMA DISC Surveyprovides insights on people(cid:146)s orientations, pri- u Personal orities, and motives in carrying out their work. Such insights can development help participants to understand why they are more effective in u Problem solving and carrying out some tasks than others. In turn, participants can decision making identify situations in which they could modify their personal styles to improve the way they organize and carry out their work, man- u Time management age time, solve problems, and supervise the work of others. u Interpersonal relations Using theSurvey to Improve Interpersonal and Team u Conflict management Effectiveness. The AMA DISC Survey provides insights regard- u Team building ing roles, communication styles, and likely sources of frustration when interacting with others. It can also help participants to u Organizational understand the personal styles of those with whom they interact. change Such insights enable participants to recognize why some inter- personal and group interactions are more rewarding than others. Participants can use these insights to identify how and with whom they can modify their personal styles to resolve conflicts and improve interpersonal and team effectiveness. Using theSurvey to Improve Organizational Effectiveness. The AMA DISC Surveyprovides insights regarding problem solv- ing and decision making approaches, preferred work environ- ments, and areas for development. Such insights enable participants to recognize situations in which their current style is likely to be an asset. Participants can also identify conditions under which they should modify their styles (or seek out others who have a style that will complement their own). Incorporating The AMA DISC Survey into Your Training Program This manual provides you with the information needed to plan and facilitate a training and development program that includes The AMA DISC Survey. The basic activities involved in adminis- tering, scoring, and debriefing the survey are described, along with approximate time frames and suggestions for program designs. The basic activities and time frames are listed on the next page, along with the sections in this manual in which the activities are discussed. 6 u The AMA DISC Survey Facilitator(cid:146)s Manual Manual Time Activity Section 10 to 15 Administer The AMA DISC Survey 2 minutes 5 to 10 Score and plot the results 2 minutes 10 to 15 Provide a basic debriefing of the 3 minutes results 35 to 50 Provide an expanded debriefing of 4 minutes the results (optional) 5 to 10 Complete the modules in the minutes per 5 Debriefing Guide (optional) module Basic Activities and Time Frames The AMA DISC Survey can be used as a 40-minute introduction to personal styles, or it can be used as the basis for a half-day session on personal, interpersonal, team, or organizational devel- opment. Appendix B presents a number of suggested program designs for using The AMA DISC Surveyto accomplish different objectives. A set of transparency masters is contained in Appendix C. In preparing to facilitate a program that includes The AMA DISC Survey, you may first want to complete the survey yourself. Doing so will help you to better understand the survey and anticipate some of the questions that participants are likely to ask. In addi- tion, you may want to review the appendixes that address the survey(cid:146)s norms and reliability (Appendix A) and provide answers to frequently asked questions (Appendix D).