In the earlier article we had discussed about using two assessments– DiSC Classic and Extended DISC together. In this article we will look at another assessment which works towards a similar objective– Insights Discover Personal Profile. Insights Learning & Development, was founded in 1993 by Andi Lothian and his son, the current Chief Executive Andy Lothian. The company is headquartered in Dundee, Scotland.
Insights Discovery Preference Calculator explains different behavioural preferences of individuals using a four factor color coded model , which in turn is divided into 8 types which are then categorised into 72 sub types. The Insights Discovery profile offers a framework to develop self-awareness with focus on self -reflections on the working style. The profile also plots an individuals strengths and weaknesses with special impetus to blind spots which may have gone unnoticed over the years.
Let’s look at what makes Insights Discovery similar to DiSC Classic. Both evaluate human behaviour on the four factor model. DiSC places each of the behaviours in quadrant moving clockwise from top left whereas Insight similarly proceeds clockwise in a circular spectrum which is color coded.
Though both the profiles use colors symbolically and are similar to the extent in which they use colors for interpretation, the approaches vary significantly in the usage of the colors. While DiSC insists on not bringing in color psychology into the interpretation of the four styles, this is a the crux on the interpretation part of the Insights Discovery Personal Profile. The reason why DiSC does not stress on the use of colors is the assumption that people belonging to different cultures vary significantly in the way in which they interpret the meaning of colors. Hence when it comes to global adaptation tackling the color coded interpretation can be tricky in Insight Discovery.
In the Insights Discovery model the x-axis is labelled as Introvert-Extrovert, from left to right, and the y-axis as Thinking-Feeling, from top to bottom. DiSC® Classic’s axes are manifold in the way it is defined, each one rapt with self-descriptive adjectives. The x-axis is labelled, Questioning–Accepting from left to right, and the yaxis is labelled, Active–Thoughtful, from top to bottom. However it is interesting to note that the axes of Carl Jung’s model which are the basis for the labels of Insights Discovery are also seen on the DiSC Classic model.
When we critically review the DiSC Classic Research Report, there is a clear comparison between Everything DiSC and The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®). This observation can be interesting to psychologists since research indicates that the models are in fact radically different. Having said this though it could be possible to determine correlations in the two models, it would only confuse interpretations should you try to use both the models together.
Placing all three in perspective we can state that Insights Discovery only employs the first three Jungian personality types and can be applied just the way DiSC Classic can. This distinction between Insights Discovery and MBTI however is debatable since the scaling used in them are significantly different and any comparison between the two can only be theoretical diminishing the practical applicability of Insights Discovery.
