Why Extended DISC
Why Extended DISC®?
There is a marked trend globally to pay considerably more attention to the ‘people’ component of competitiveness.
Anecdotally, we know that the service provider who has excellent inter-personal skills is going to win contracts over his competitor who might be more technically competent but has weak “people skills”. The ‘people’ component is the most difficult to duplicate. So a competitive edge there is more sustainable.
The issue of ROLE FIT is one of the hottest topics in the quest for a competitive advantage. Getting the right people in the right positions is seen as holding the key to a major strategic breakthrough.
People are better able to sustain high levels of performance when they are operating within their “flexibility zone”. We also know the challenges that “square pegs in round holes” present!
Successful organizations are honing in on solutions that are effective in helping them address the vexed issues of:
- Recruitment & Placement
- Career & Succession planning
- Job description
- Coaching and development
Finland and the US have been ranked as the top two most competitive countries over the last three years in the The Global Competitiveness Report.
- Is there some factor that is common to these nations that is different in the Caribbean?
- If so, could this provide some insights into strategies for enhancing our own productivity?
Arising out of our validation studies, we have identified what we consider to be critical differences that impact directly on national productivity concerns within the Caribbean.
There is a bias away from ‘people-orientation’ and from ‘innovation and risk taking’ in many organizations. ‘Management’ in the days of slavery and in the subsequent plantation era was essentially about securing and maintaining assets, record keeping and reporting. ‘People’ were to be accounted for like the other chattel.
The store-keeping philosophy of ‘Management’ carried over into the local operations of government. Historically, neither in the private nor in the public sector were strategic planning, innovation, risk taking and ‘winning’ essential to personal success . Indeed, personal success was better attained by a strict implementation of rules and by a consistent ability to follow instructions. Keeping distance from those you supervised had its benefits.
Persons who challenged the status quo and sought to operate ‘outside the box’ were branded as trouble makers and sidelined. Those who were too close to the ‘supervised’ were looked on with suspicion.
Further reinforcement for the store-keeping philosophy came through the education system. The education system – especially at the higher level – was geared to produce ‘managers’ not entrepreneurs or leaders.
- So how do we respond to these challenges?
- How do we facilitate a process that leads to a fundamental change in national and organizational behaviour patterns?
One size does not fit all!
Leadership, people management, supervision, training, coaching and development must be targeted to specific needs and directed scientifically. This is best achieved through formal assessment processes.
We need to eliminate guesswork.
Suppose you had the power to produce the ideal person for every job. Would you use that power? We agree that sustainable competitiveness is best achieved through the ‘people component’. If people are so critical to the process, we ought to give them at least the same level of attention that we give to other resources.
As you look for competitiveness solutions:
- What is the ‘people blueprint’ for the organization going forward?
- What does our ‘people map’ look like at this point in time?
- How do you plan to address the ‘gaps’ that may exist?
- Are using analytical tools and data collecting instruments to take snapshots of your organization and your people – at specific points in time and from different angles?
- Would you like to learn more about how answers to these questions can have direct impact on your bottom line?
Please contact us. We want to share our insights on these issues.
