InnerActive Consulting – Insights

Why Change Initiatives Don’t Work

More than half of change initiatives in organizations fail. Most Fortune 500 executives cite “resistance” as the primary reason for failure. Studies show:

Approximately 30% of reengineering projects are successful
Less than 25% of mergers cover the costs of merger
Less than 60% of quality improvement efforts are successful
80% of CIOs say “resistance” is the cause of project failures

There are ways to improve these figures. Here are some of my ideas relative to improving these numbers… Continue reading ‘Why Change Initiatives Don’t Work’ »

Share, Email, Print or Bookmark this

More »

Posted by Inneractive Consulting Insights on April 3, 2010 at 3:29 pm under Change Management.
Tags: Barriers to change, Behavioral Styles, Change initiatives, DISC, Judy W Bell, natural strengths and weaknesses
Comment on this post.

Is There a Difference Between Character and Personality?

Many times the words character and personality are used interchangeably. While related, there are distinct differences between the two words and their meanings.

Character is often used to define a person’s integrity, such as he has “upstanding character” or “his character is lacking.” Character is actually a set of behavior traits that define what type of person you are. Do you follow the rules of your “group?” Many times people who do not follow the rules of the group, whether it is a family group, work group, or religious group, are not accepted by the group. This tenant and tendency has been in place since the beginning of time. Continue reading ‘Is There a Difference Between Character and Personality?’ »

Share, Email, Print or Bookmark this

More »

Posted by Inneractive Consulting Insights on March 26, 2010 at 12:24 am under Personal Development.
Tags: Behavioral traits, Character, Difference between Character and Personality, DISC, Integrity, Judy W Bell, Personality, psychology of achievement, The Phoenix Seminar
Comment on this post.

DISC tells You the “How” People Do Things

So, you want to know “how” a person communicates, talks, walks, listens, deals with people, handles processes and rules, makes decisions, goes after goals and problems? Then you need to look at a DISC assessment to answer the question.

DISC assessments answer these questions and more. The tool tells you if a person is feeling minor or major stress. It can tell you when a person is trying to be “all things to all people” and again feeling unusual stress in the process.

If you are looking for a sample of a DISC report and what it covers, go to our assessment site (which explains all the assessments we offer and what they will do for you) and download a sample “behavioral” report. They come in different formats – one for executives, managers & staff, sales, customer service, team building and even time management.

Someone asked me, “Is the DISC report a personality test?” My answer was “no.” The reason for this answer is the DISC reports have no psychology involved in the assessment. Only behavior is recorded or the behavioral tendencies of an individual. Yet, behavior is the most dominant factor since it is what everyone sees or hears. Behavioral traits are on display for everyone to see and “judge.”

I prefer the power and insight of the DISC reports because it is easily validated by the person who takes the assessment and everyone who interacts with this person. However, one major issues comes up between people. When people or staff are unaware of the types of behavioral style, they tend to judge others based upon their “own style preferences.” This can create natural conflict and misunderstanding of actions or intent.

85% of conflict in organizations can be linked to different behavioral style. This has been our experience working in the corporate arena.

People need to understand the power of behavioral style and how it influences our actions and our communication effectiveness with others. Our number one workshop is based upon helping people understand how behavioral tendencies influence our actions and results. Check out our number one workshop: Effective Communication for Results.

If you are interested in this assessment and the impact it provides an organization, please contact me at 901-757-4434. We can discuss how it can help you and your organization or team. Call now and get more effectiveness and productivity in your group, team or organization.

Share, Email, Print or Bookmark this

More »

Posted by Voss Graham on June 15, 2009 at 5:27 am under Using Assessments.
Tags: Behavioral Styles, Conflict Resolution, DISC, Effective communication skills, Improving People Skills, Using Assessments
1 Comment.

How to Choose the Right Assessment for Your Company

How do you choose the right assessment from so many choices? That is a question that shows up every day. Some people have the answer and others just keep using the one that was introduced to them while in school. Others use the ones recommended by their boss or someone they trust or respect.

The above methods are subjective at best. So how do you choose the right one for you or your organization? There are seven factors to review, so let’s get started:

Price – Some choices are made only based upon price. Price per assessment, per project or per group. Price is a consideration, yet, it should not be the only issue to review for using assessments. There are other more important considerations.
Validation – Now this is another important area, yet it can be overused. Validation of personal assessments should be validated in several areas – accuracy, relationship, construct, and consistency. However, not ALL assessment are in need of validation. There are numerous situations that call for job related accuracy only. In fact, we see this element being a key factor in several assessment processes – are there job related benchmarks being used in the interpretation?
Legal – Are the legal requirements of the assessments being met? In the 50′s and 60′s some assessments were used in an illegal manner to eliminate certain classes of people from employment opportunities. And, laws were passed to stop this practice. However, today, several people still have a misunderstanding of what is legal and what is illegal in the use of assessments – particularly in the hiring and selection of people. While you will want to check with your legal advisers – the EEOC and the Department of Labor are very clear on the use of assessments. It is perfectly fine to use assessments – especially if they are focused upon the needs of a job or position rather than an individual. Benchmarking that is job specific is good for legal requirements.
Norms – What norms are being used by the assessment provider? If the provider cannot “show” you when and where the norms for their assessments were established, then decline to use them. There are many “copy cats” in the marketplace that have not done any research and development to keep their assessments current. Most behavioral assessments were normed on the baby boomers population. Therefore, the X and Y Generation individuals do not get accurate results. Thus a disconnect between the report generated and the belief that the information is accurate. Your norms should be set from the 21st century not the early 20th century.
Easy of Use – The assessment process should be difficult for the user or the benefactor of the results. The instructions and deliverable should be easy to understand and implement. Simple and clear is the key.
Support – Do you have a provider that has experienced and certified individuals to support the debrief of information provided from the assessments. To often, you will have a “certified” individual that has no practical experience. Therefore, the insight into how certain factors or combinations impact an individual or organization could be missing. This lack of insight will hurt you in the long run.
Language – During the 20th century one language was okay. However, today with the global presence and multi-cultures in the marketplace the question of “What languages are available for this assessment?” is key. A quality assessment should be available in multiple languages over the same system that everyone uses. By the way, our experience is the base language spoken by participants is important for taking assessments. To much time is wasted trying to interpret the definitions of words used in the assessment with misunderstanding and inaccurate results commonplace. However, when people use their primary language while taking the assessment – the accuracy is improved.

Review these points before making your decision as to how to which assessment or combination of assessments you should be using to get the results you want. If you need samples of assessment reports, then go to our assessment only site – use the Individual Focus or Corporate Focus tab to find the specific report you want. Call us if you want to get an assessment – 901-757-4434.

Share, Email, Print or Bookmark this

More »

Posted by Voss Graham on April 13, 2009 at 5:19 am under Using Assessments.
Tags: assessments, DISC, How to Select, validity of assessments
3 Comments.

How do You Select Members of a Team?

Many will agree that people are the most important asset of an organization. More importantly, however, is how well those people work together to accomplish a common goal. Whether a company has
thousands of people working in various locations worldwide or just a handful working in one small office, teamwork is vital to success. So, how can you ensure that your teams are performing at their fullest
potential? How do people contribute to the team differently? Have you built effective teams?

To begin answering these questions, you must learn how to really understand each member of the team to
identify their work style and how it compares to others in the group. You also need to look at the inherent
strengths that each person brings to the table. Not their expertise or their background, but those things they seem to be good at just because that is who they are.

Once you understand the team members, you can not only build a team with the most effective combination
of strengths, but you can also learn how to leverage each individual’s strengths for a dynamic team that
works at its highest potential. Only then will teams reach goals that have been unattained by individuals,
work at levels of productivity no single person can achieve or impact the bottom line more effectively as a
group. In fact, maybe we should revisit the assets of an organization. Perhaps TEAMS are more important
than people on their own?

A Senior Vice President for a Technology Company discovered the importance of using assessments to assist in selecting a diverse yet functional group to lead a very important company project. His first attempt had been a failure because he selected a team consisting of passive and non results oriented individuals. His second Team consisted of a balance of results oriented, active, detailed, persistant, and influential individuals that produced the project in record time, within budget and a quality product ( as described by their customers.).

To learn more about using assessments in selected or evaluating Team Effectiveness, call me at 901-757-4434. We have been implementing assessments within team for over eighteen years with outstanding results for our clients.

Share, Email, Print or Bookmark this

More »

Posted by Voss Graham on November 21, 2008 at 6:15 am under Team Building, Using Assessments.
Tags: DISC, effectiveness, Team Building, Using Assessments, Workplace Motivators
Comment on this post.

DISC tells us about Team Effectiveness

The key to understanding the makeup of your team and each member’s unique strength is a common format for identifying and understanding each person’s work habits, strengths and communication preferences. Using this information allows for a clear understanding of who is capable of delivering upon the expectations of the team.

There are many ways you can classify people through observation and identify what “type” of person they
are. One of the most common theories addressing styles of communicating is the theory of DISC. Derived
from the early work of William M. Marston, the theory has since been applied to the world of business and
used in a number of different ways to better understand, appreciate work with and manage people.

In team building, utilizing the theory of DISC helps team members truly understand why everyone is
different, what each individual’s strengths are, and how each person contributes to the team. Remember,
communication is more than what someone says. In fact, communication is more about what people do, or
how they act. DISC considers all aspects of communication, from the words we use to how body language
affects communication. By providing a common language with which to speak about our differences, DISC
allows us to recognize other “types” of people, understand them better and leverage their strengths. With
DISC, the team can be more cohesive, more productive and more efficient.

DISC also allows us to look at team dynamics in a whole new light, making sure that a well-rounded group
provides all the strengths needed for success, and each member is in a role that suits them best. Which
person is best to lead? Who should handle the details? What is the best combination for small work groups
within the team?

With DISC, it is easy to identify team dynamics to begin strengthening your company’s biggest asset. Even
if you have a team of star performers, they are only reaching half of their potential if they don’t work well
together. Imagine the possibilities if everyone came together to work effectively as a team.

Contact us about how to implement DISC within your organization. Call us at 901-757-4434.

Share, Email, Print or Bookmark this

More »

Posted by Voss Graham on November 19, 2008 at 6:50 am under Team Building, Using Assessments.
Tags: DISC, Effective Communication, Team Building, Using Assessments
Comment on this post.

DISC patterns are more important

Keep hearing people who teach the DISC material talk about the high this or the low that – well, this is close to the truth. It is the patterns and combinations that a more important than just a high factor. Yet, everyday people get labeled as a high D, high I, high S or a High C. It then appears that the other factors or elements have no effect upon a person’s behavior.

Let me be perfectly clear on this point – due to the intensity levels and the combinations of highs and lows – a person’s behavior will change when compared to others. Now this is not even taking into consideration the effect of personal motivators or the levels of personal skills that can impact a person’s performance and results.

Let’s get back to the subject of patterns – a presenter or facilitator of DISC needs to understand how the patterns of the DISC work and influence a person’s “unique behavioral traits.” If you can not do this, then you really need to learn more about the DISC elements. There are self-study manuals and CD’s available to learn more about the combination effect. There is a Great reference book – “The Universal Language of DISC” which is a must read for instructors and managers. Or attend a Train the Trainer session and study to get certification on DISC – you will learn about the patterns.

If you want to learn more about the patterns of DISC, contact our offices at 901-757-4434. We offer the tools for you to learn just how important and useful the DISC assessments are and how to use them. If you don’t know about DISC – well, it is time to learn and know. It is a proven and trusted tool for personal behavior.

Share, Email, Print or Bookmark this

More »

Posted by Voss Graham on November 6, 2008 at 6:30 am under Using Assessments.
Tags: DISC, patterns of DISC, personal behavior, Train the Trainer
1 Comment.

DISC validity – Do You Know its Importance?

People have a tendency to treat assessments as a commodity item. They feel that all DISC reports are equal and there is no difference between the different vendors of DISC. Well, this is not an accurate statement or belief.

Let me explain the differences based upon validity factors.

Since most DISC assessments come from similar origins of research they appear at first glance to be the same and therefore the results are the same. Yet, when you truly look under the hood of the assessment – you can find major differences.

Our Strategic Partner for assessments (TTI Performance Systems) takes great pride in their commitment to research, study and validate their assessments to a very high standard. Due to their high standards, they continuously update and check their validity of their assessments. Several years ago they discovered that some of the constructive language used in the assessments were no longer valid at their standards.

After two years of hard research and testing, a new standard was placed in effect that actually increased the validity percentages in all elements of DISC. This created a higher acceptance and accuracy level for our clients.

So what is the secret? It’s due to the shift in culture and demographics. The x and y generations have had an effect upon the validity scores. Since the vast majority of DISC assessments are based on older norms (mid to late 20th century) the boomers influenced the validity standards. Therefore, unless your workforce is all boomer aged – there are probabilities that some of the assessments are lacking in accuracy for the younger people in your organization.

What we recommend is to ask about the norms of the assessment. You can even ask for a validity statement or report. When reviewing this information, check the following: Is it from an independent source or inhouse? Do they provide the statistical results of the studies? What year did the studies occur? (Anything before 2000 maybe loaded with Boomer Bias)

Remember that many assessments used in the field have no validation or research to back up their accuracy. Beware of the cheap “knock offs” that have “borrowed” the research of others and have little investment in the accuracy of their assessments. This is a major problem in the world of assessments and many people are fooled or influenced by the low prices offered.

If you would like to see a validation report on our DISC assessment, please contact us at 901-757-4434. We look forward to serving you with up-to-date, state of the art assessment reports.

Share, Email, Print or Bookmark this

More »

Posted by Voss Graham on October 23, 2008 at 11:27 am under Using Assessments.
Tags: DISC, validity of assessments
Comment on this post.

Posts tagged ‘DISC’

Why Change Initiatives Don’t Work

Is There a Difference Between Character and Personality?

DISC tells You the “How” People Do Things

How to Choose the Right Assessment for Your Company

How do You Select Members of a Team?

DISC tells us about Team Effectiveness

DISC patterns are more important

DISC validity – Do You Know its Importance?

Blogroll

IACG Special Sites

Links

Recent Posts

Categories

Archives