1 The foundations of William Marston's four-colour theory
Created by American psychologist William Moulton Marston in the late 1920s, DISC classifies behavioural styles into four major profiles: Dominance, red, oriented towards challenges and rapid results; Influence, yellow, enthusiastic, communicative and people-oriented; Steadiness, green, patient, loyal, attentive and concerned with team harmony; and Conscientiousness, blue, rigorous, analytical, methodical and attentive to the quality of procedures.
2 DISC assessment: mapping natural and adapted profiles
The questionnaire assesses a manager's natural behavioural profile, how they react spontaneously under pressure, and adapted profile, how they adjust their stance to meet the perceived demands of their professional environment. Awareness of these nuances helps leaders understand why some relationships with colleagues of opposing profiles generate unconscious friction.
3 The complementary contribution of 360-degree feedback
360-degree feedback complements DISC by anonymously surveying the manager's professional circle: superiors, peers and direct reports. Comparing the leader's self-perception with colleagues' perceptions reveals valuable blind spots and highlights unsuspected skills.
4 The place of this approach within support
This approach enables flexible adjustment of management style: leaders learn to speak 'blue' with a meticulous expert or 'green' with a colleague seeking stability, developing effective, harmonious collective intelligence.
5 Developing collective intelligence and assertiveness
Understanding the diversity of DISC profiles defuses value judgements within teams: what seemed rigid becomes rigorous, and what appeared impatient becomes dynamic. The manager orchestrates everyone's talents towards harmonious collective success.