Author: uku

Organizations are constantly undergoing change. Whether an organization is implementing a new strategy and culture or responding to market trends like digitalization, change is a necessary and vital part of long-term organizational success.

Yet, all too often, people react to changes so differently. Have you ever wondered why? What are some of the change management strategies to handle these various reactions? One of the reasons that change efforts fail is when leaders fail to take the human side of transition into account.

In the landmark change management study of more than 100 companies over 10 years, Harvard Business School professor John Kotter, reported the incredible finding that approximately 70% of change initiatives fail. Whether it was a large scale or a smaller scale change, it often failed to achieve the necessary commitment. This is where DiSC® assessments can help.

Using DiSC psychometric model to understand these differences along with Prosci® change management tools will go a long way to facilitating change and managing people more effectively.

The DiSC model is constructed on two behavioral dimensions which form four basic profiles. Each profile, or behavioral prototype, describes preferred environments, communication styles and workplace relationships. The profiles also indicate the greatest fears, motivators, stressors and attitudes toward change.

Without thoughtful leadership to manage personalities within your team, changes can become much more difficult on people and will ask a lot from leaders.

One of the most frustrating things for leadership can be employee resistance to change. “Why can’t they just get on board and do what’s needed to get this initiative done?”. But that would be too easy…

Importance of understanding other personalities

During change, the emotional intelligence of yourself and others is critical for:

• Keeping employees engaged and productive
• Decreasing resistance, stress and conflict
• Maintaining the quality of services that customers need and expect

Using the DiSC Profile can be a very powerful tool to carefully assess people on key change competencies.  Not all people embrace change with the same level of enthusiasm. A percentage of the population will dread the prospect of change, while others cynically deny that change will actually ever happen.

By understanding what DiSC styles are more represented in the organization we can predict the potential success or failure of change initiatives and anticipate if they likely will either positively or negatively impact the change process. Ignore these issues, and the probability of delay and change failure increases.

When planning the change process, develop a richer, multidimensional picture of employees and how they view change.  Remember the adage, “We love change, as long as someone else does it!”  That simple picture speaks volumes.

DiSC helps to develop a deep understanding of each person’s motivators, their limitations and their challenges. Be realistic about what to expect from each individual dealing with the change process. Then, plan accordingly.

Change management for High D’s

High D’s make quick decisions, are on board with change easily and are happy to move forward towards a goal. They are daring and risk-takers. They can be innovators who love new ideas. On the surface, this is a wonderful asset, and momentum is needed to drive change, but they sometimes don’t wait for all the details of a plan before they act. High D’s tend to have a hard time tolerating the conversations necessary to construct the execution plan. This can negatively impact the team’s ability to reach its goals. It’s important to give them an immediate task they can accomplish right away that is part of the larger plan so they can act quickly and achieve a win early in the change process.

What does the D style need during times of change?

Progress: being able to get results quickly and efficiently

Control: having influence over decisions that affect them and their success

Justification: knowing how and why changes were made

Change management for High i’s

High I’s usually get excited about the initiative and want to talk about it. They show great enthusiasm and are early adopters of an initiative. I style openly share their ideas and are usually fun to work with. The challenge with high I’s is focusing them during the execution phase and not letting them get sidetracked chasing the next idea that excites them. Strategies for this group are games, themes and smaller goals that engage their desire for stimulation. They also make great advocates of the initiative. Use High I’s to inspire other members of the team who may need additional encouragement to get on board.

What does the i style need during times of change?

Excitement: being part of energizing new opportunities

Being heard: knowing that their opinions and feelings about the change(s) are heard

Relationships: maintaining a connection with important people in their world

Change management for High S’s

High S’s can be challenging on the surface because they don’t fundamentally like change. They like the status quo that is predictable and calm. “If it isn’t broke don’t fix it.” It’s important to involve them as early as possible in the change process to allow them time to get used to a new idea.  Although initially, they can be frustratingly slow adopters, this group can become your best advocates for an initiative once they have time to understand the logic behind a change and they feel engaged in the change management process and their role in it.

What does the S style need during times of change?

Reassurance: knowing that things are under control and will turn out okay

Harmony: freedom from tension, conflict, and ongoing stress

Direction: knowing where we are headed and what is expected of them

Change management for High C’s

High C’s have excellent analytical skills, are superb at knowing the details and are very systematic and careful in their work style. They will catch mistakes and keep the team honest when reporting stats and results.  The challenge with this style is that they need all the details upfront, and their questions and feedback can come across as resistant and negative.  It’s important to learn to embrace these qualities and use them to enhance the team by asking them to help in creating a detailed execution plan. This group may need to be encouraged to move toward the bigger goal, but C’s are an invaluable resource to a team’s success.

What does the C style need during times of change?

Competence: knowing that they can do their jobs well and maintain credibility

Understanding: knowing the implications of the change(s) and maintaining their expertise

Stability: having a sense of predictability and freedom from chaos

Are these generalities? Yes. And every person and organization is unique. But the more the leaders understand behavioral styles, the more they can work within each person’s zone of strength to position the team for success in managing change.

Multidimensional communication is always the key to change project success. Business leaders cannot effectively manage and clearly communicate changes without understanding the personalities of their people and the motivators behind them. DiSC along with ADKAR creates a powerful language for change management and gives leaders a framework for helping people embrace and adopt changes through effective communication and better self-control. Embracing change means putting people first.

WHAT’S YOUR DISC PROFILE?

Reach out to us at hello@ipbpartners.eu to get your personal DiSC profile today to learn about your own DiSC style.

Referred sources:

https://www.changepartners.ee/en/prosci/

https://www.assuredstrategy.com/change-management/

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/disc-profile-3-ways-align-people-change-process-joanne-flynn/

To the average observer, one could conclude that the world of work is becoming less connected. Between hybrid and remote work environments and the rise of AI alone, it would be easy to assume that at the very least we are moving away from a state of connection. As fewer interactions are happening face-to-face and an increasing number of people have chatbots managing the logistics of their lives, it wouldn’t be outlandish to surmise that the emphasis we once put on feeling connection, even friendship, with the people we work with would be decreasing.

Wiley Workplace Intelligence was curious: In the rapidly changing, increasingly technological world of work, are people feeling connected to their coworkers? Do people strive for connection and what does it mean to them and their mental health? And, finally, what impact does their level of connectedness have on retention?

We surveyed 2008 people, from individual contributors to executive leadership, to understand more about connection in the digital age, and our findings provide interesting insight into the impacts of human connection at work.

People Feel Connected Despite Digital Divide

Our first major insight was that people do feel a sense of connection at work with 78% of respondents saying that they feel connected with their coworkers. This suggests that, despite the rise of technology, human connection remains a vital aspect of the workplace experience. While technology facilitates communication and collaboration, it cannot fully replace the interpersonal relationships and sense of camaraderie that develop through human interactions.

In addition to the significant percentage of respondents who say they feel connected with their coworkers, 69% of those surveyed said that not only do they feel connected, but they also enjoy making connections with their colleagues.

Despite relying on digital tools for communication and collaboration, people still value and prioritize personal connection. Not only is connection imperative to achieving organizational results through the transformative power of teamwork, but there are also social benefits such as sharing experiences, supporting one another, and celebrating achievements. The social element of connection fosters a sense of belonging and that transcends technological barriers, even for teams that are working hybrid or remotely.

Moreover, effective teams need to build a foundation of trust, empathy, and understanding, which are best cultivated through interpersonal interactions even if experienced via technology. While technology enables remote work and virtual collaboration, it’s the human element that ultimately strengthens bonds and enhances teamwork.

Friendships at Work Impact Retention

As we have established, connection is an important part of teamwork and productivity, but what about the impact of having friendships at work? Beyond the transactional pleasantries that go into a workday, building true friendships in the workplace can influence everything from well-being and mental health to retention.

59% of our survey respondents said that not having friends at work was a factor in deciding to stay at a company. The benefits of building friendships at work are numerous – increased support for one. When you have meaningful connections, you have a greater support network to cope with the inevitable stressors of our work lives.

Connection in the Workplace Improves Mental Health

It is also important to note the impact that friendships at work can have on one’s mental health. True friendships in the workplace contribute to improved mental health as they can act as support networks during challenging times, provide a sense of belonging, and alleviate stress through shared experiences and understanding. We have all worked on that one project that turned out to be way harder than we thought it would be – how nice is it to process the experience with a friend over lunch or a quick phone call?

Additionally, having friends at work can increase job satisfaction, as positive social interactions contribute to good organizational cultures and enhance overall workplace enjoyment.

Foster Connection in Your Organization

It can be difficult to know where to start improving connection at work, especially in hybrid or remote environments. In the “old” days, it was easy to order a few pizzas and gather everyone in a conference room for some ice-breakers, but how does that translate to the digital age?

While that kind of “forced socialization” can be a groan-inducing part of work life, depending on how it is executed, half of our respondents reported that they actually want to learn more about their coworkers by doing a team-building activity.

While the traditional pizza-in-the-conference-room scenario may look different now, there are still ways to nurture connection, and the foundation of real friendships, in the workplace by investing in team-building activities that build trust.

For example, team volunteering events or group lunches are a great way to connect during business hours, but that only works if you are in the same location. For remote teams who may need to invest more intentional time and effort to build rapport, facilitated learning experiences like Everything DiSC^® and The Five Behaviors^® provide meaningful opportunities for coworkers to learn more about themselves and others – building trust, commitment, and cohesion in the process.

Taking the time to nurture the bonds that are created through common experience will always be a good return on investment. Whether it is making time for team chats or personal stories during virtual meetings, offsite lunches, or facilitated learning experiences, fostering connection at work will pay dividends in improved mental health, retention, and, ultimately, the bottom line.

This blog content belongs to Everything DiSC, a Wiley brand.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming increasingly inevitable. Whether it’s that omnipresent chatbot everyone talks about, automated note-taking in video calls, or utilizing the skills of an AI virtual assistant for administrative tasks, for many, AI is becoming a more, dare we say, natural part of daily life.

But what happens if you want to remember that one seemingly unimportant thing your coworker said (and the bot missed) that sparked an idea, or you need to have a sensitive conversation with a colleague about a recent project? In this increasingly technological world, are chatbots replacing the personal touch of soft skills in the workplace? And how do we feel about that?

With the increasing ubiquity of AI, Wiley Workplace Intelligence sought to understand if, and how, people are using AI to communicate in their daily lives. Since its inception, copious uses for AI assistance have emerged, and we were curious if individuals are leveraging these technological shortcuts to make communication a bit easier.

AI Not Replacing Humans When It Comes to Soft Skills

Wiley surveyed 2,014 people, and the results were nearly unanimous: the evolution of AI will never replace the art of communication.

80% of our survey respondents shared that soft skills are more important than ever with the evolution of AI. While AI can be downright helpful in some areas, those surveyed sent a message loud and clear that a bot cannot replace the intuitive nature of human connection.

A bot doesn’t know that your colleague has been caring for an ailing family member and may need some extra grace around the workplace, or that your boss is doing the job of three people, or that your direct report is learning a new skill in addition to their normal workload.

Taking time to get to know and truly understand the people you work with goes a long way in creating meaningful connections and productive workplaces. The individuality that we all bring to our jobs is what makes strong teams and good cultures.

Skill Building for the Future of Work

Looking to the future of work in an increasingly technological world, our survey respondents reported that communication and leadership are the top-ranked skills needed in the workplace, followed by adaptability, which speaks to the need to evolve in our ever-changing environment.

Communication and leadership stand out as skills that no bot can replace. Genuinely effective communication can make the difference between whether your organization thrives or struggles to survive in the new normal. Clarity of vision, problem-solving, helping your teams navigate conflict, adaptability, and creating positive cultures are all skills that need a human element to truly be successful.

Conflict Best Managed Face-to-Face

Our research found that even the trickier elements of our work lives, like conflict management, are not being replaced by AI. How easy would it be to have a chatbot draft a quick email about a sticky situation at work? Quite easy. And yet, 84% of people shared that they are navigating these challenging workplace scenarios face-to-face which prioritizes people and effects true change that can ultimately have a positive impact on workplace culture.

After all, humans are complex and reactions to difficult situations can be, well, human. And taking the time to connect, communicate, and work through conflict at a personal level can make all the difference.

All of this said, strategically leveraging AI to automate parts of your job (administrative tasks, for example) can be beneficial, efficient, and create space for the elements of work, and life, which thrive with genuine human connection.

Soft skills may come easier to some than others. Utilizing personality assessments and facilitated learning experiences can help you build these skills in your organization. With solutions like Everything DiSC^® and The Five Behaviors^®, you can get to know yourself and others, build skills that no bot can ever replace, and create organizations that harness the power of our modern times while keeping the humanity that makes us special. And I think we can all agree that humanity is something that we need a little more of.

This blog content belongs to Everything DiSC, a Wiley brand.

Keeping the principles of DiSC® active and relevant in an organization can be challenging, but it’s crucial for fostering a culture of communication and understanding. Here are some strategies to ensure that DiSC remains a vibrant and integral part of your workplace.

1. Regular Refreshers

Encourage teams to regularly revisit DiSC concepts. Short, frequent discussions about DiSC can help keep the principles fresh in everyone’s mind.

2. Integrating DiSC with Existing Processes

Incorporate DiSC into your existing business practices. For instance, during meetings or team-building activities, remind participants of their DiSC styles and how these can influence group dynamics.

3. Leadership Endorsement

Have your leaders set an example by consistently applying DiSC in their management approach and decision-making processes. Leadership’s commitment to DiSC can inspire the entire organization to follow suit.

4. New Employee Orientation

Introduce DiSC early by incorporating it into onboarding programs for new hires. This can help new employees understand the communication styles of their colleagues from the start.

5. DiSC® Profiles Display

Encourage employees to display their DiSC style somewhere visible, like on their desk, office door or any social platform. This acts as a constant reminder of the diverse communication styles within the team.

6. Apply DiSC in Conflict Resolution

Utilize DiSC to navigate and resolve conflicts by understanding the different motivations and fears of the conflicting parties.

7. DiSC Champions

Designate DiSC champions within your organization who are passionate about the framework and can promote its use in various departments. Consider sending at least one member of a team to the DiSC® Certification program to get further expertise and increase the value your organization gets from DiSC.

8. Tailored Communication

Use DiSC to tailor communication strategies within your team, ensuring messages resonate with the diverse styles of the group.

9. Performance Reviews

Incorporate DiSC into performance reviews to discuss how an employee’s style has influenced their performance, both positively and negatively.

10. Continuous Learning

Keep the learning alive by providing ongoing training and development opportunities related to DiSC. Check some tips on how to continue the journey with DiSC.

By implementing these strategies, you can maintain the relevance and effectiveness of DiSC® in your organization, fostering a more harmonious and productive workplace and getting a better return on investment from the DiSC profiles.

What DiSC behavioral characteristics best describe individuals who have an ability to sell? Who has the least confidence in their selling skills?

In exploring the connection between DiSC behavioral characteristics and selling ability, a small US study by the Keller Center for Research focused on professionals in the residential real estate sector. They sought to understand which DiSC traits align with strong selling skills and which indicate a lack of confidence in these abilities.

Identifying Sales Confidence through DiSC

Confidence in selling is often linked to certain behavioral traits. Individuals who are self-assured, persuasive, competitive, and decisive tend to believe in their selling abilities. They are adept at understanding and influencing others, and they handle sales pressure well.

Traits Indicative of Selling Skills

Our study identified ten key DiSC traits associated with sales confidence. The majority of these traits fall under the Dominance and Influence categories. They include being very sure of oneself, enjoying competition, being a risk-taker, self-confident, convincing, and assertive. These traits are valuable indicators for hiring practices in sales roles. The Top 10 DiSC behaviors most related to selling confidence are displayed in order:

Lack of Confidence in Selling

Conversely, we identified traits that have a negative correlation with sales confidence. These traits are primarily related to the Steadiness and Compliance dimensions. Traits like being moderate, modest, calm, cautious, and sensitive are less associated with selling confidence. Our findings also confirm that administrative staff typically exhibit higher levels of Steadiness and Compliance traits.

Who Excels in Sales?

This research shows that those with high levels of Dominance and Influence traits are more likely to be top sales performers. However, it’s important to note that individuals with high Steadiness and Compliance traits can also excel in sales, though they might not be the typical top performers. The combination of an individual’s dominant behavioral traits plays a crucial role in their sales performance.

Top Sales Performers

D: 64.9% of High D’s are top sales performers

i: 58.2% of High i’s are top sales performers

S: 41.7% of High S’s are top sales performers

C: 28.0% of High C’s are top sales performers

Conclusion

The study reveals that certain DiSC traits are strong predictors of selling confidence, which in turn translates into sales performance. Recognizing these traits can help in identifying potential top sales agents and tailoring hiring processes accordingly.

However, it’s important to take into account that no DiSC style guarantees higher selling ability as this depends on several other factors besides a behavioral style. Also, any style can be successful in selling if they

What is the ideal or best DiSC style?

No single DiSC style is considered ideal or superior. Each style brings its own set of strengths and areas for improvement. DiSC is a tool to understand the effort required for different behaviors, rather than a measure of skill. It’s important to recognize that we’re all a mix of styles and can adapt to others as needed.

Can DiSC be used as a hiring tool?

Everything DiSC has not been validated as a hiring tool. There is no direct correlation between DiSC styles and job success or satisfaction. DiSC focuses on personality traits rather than the skills and abilities required for a specific job. However, some jobs do have a disproportional number of people with similar styles. This is only a modest trend and may only indicate that more people choose or are hired for that profession. For example, you might see several iD styles in your sales department or C styles in IT and finance departments. That might mean more of those styles go into those roles or that recruiters have a bias toward that style for these roles.

Still, Everything DiSC is used by many organizations to build self-awareness and to help understand the style preferences and ideal work environments of new employees, aiding in their successful integration.

Can my DiSC profile change over time?

Your DiSC profile can evolve over time due to various factors like life experiences, education, and maturity. Changes in your DiSC assessment results might be more noticeable over longer periods. While major shifts in style are unlikely, smaller changes can occur, especially after significant life events or when frequently engaging in behaviors characteristic of different styles.

At IPB Partners, we recommend re-taking the DiSC assessment every two years to ensure it captures your current style.

Can I have one style at work and another at home?

It’s common for people to exhibit similar DiSC styles in both their personal and professional lives. While different situations might require different styles, this doesn’t mean one has completely different styles at work and at home. It’s about adapting to various situations, which might be more or less energy-intensive depending on how far it is from your natural style. So, whether at home or at work, you don’t really change the essence of who you are, but you may change how you respond to others in each different environment. You are likely to float between a few dominant styles based on each unique circumstance.

How can I best use the knowledge from DiSC®?

Utilizing the insights gained from an Everything DiSC assessment can be incredibly beneficial in both personal and professional life. For example, understanding the concept of ‘stretching’ into other styles to be more effective with others. If your natural style is analytical and reserved (C style), but you’re in a situation that requires more outgoing and social behaviors (i style), this stretching can range from being slightly uncomfortable to quite challenging, depending on your style’s intensity (position on the DiSC circle). The further away your natural style is from the required style, the more effort it takes to adapt.

Remember, the key to leveraging DiSC effectively is not just in knowing the styles, but in actively applying this knowledge to adapt and improve interactions and strategies in various areas of life and work.

Should teams have a mix of all styles?

A team can be successful with or without a mix of DiSC styles. What’s more important than mix is awareness of the team’s strengths and challenges. A well-rounded team will work to overcome their challenges rather than focus only on their strengths.

Do the four DiSC colors mean anything?

The colors used in Everything DiSC profiles are purely for design and branding purposes. They don’t hold any specific meaning in relation to the DiSC styles themselves. It’s important not to associate DiSC styles with certain colors, as research indicates that the interpretation of colors can vary significantly across different cultures.

Why are there so many DISC tests?

The DISC model is not copyrighted, so this has led to the development of various assessments by different providers. Everything DiSC is the original and the first DiSC profile created in the world and sets itself apart as a premium brand with its commitment to ongoing research and the most advanced assessments and solutions.

Trust is the foundation of The Five Behaviors^®, and without it, the collaboration vital for team success becomes elusive. Trust requires vulnerability, the assurance that colleagues have each other’s backs, and confidence in one another’s intentions. By exploring the first behavior, as outlined by Patrick Lencioni in the New York Times best-seller The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, we’ll uncover the profound significance of trust within teams, unravel its dynamics, and examine its pivotal role in fostering a cohesive, high-performing team.

Here’s what Patrick Lencioni has to say about establishing vulnerability-based trust:

Defining Team Trust

When we talk about trust, we are not referring to the ability to predict someone’s behavior based on past experiences, genuine trust goes deeper. Rather, in the context of a cohesive team, trust means a willingness to be completely vulnerable with one another—to let down our guard, admit our flaws, and ask for help. It’s about being able to rely on someone not just because they’ve consistently behaved a certain way in the past, but also because they’ve demonstrated authentic commitment to the teams’ values. When team members are genuinely transparent and honest with one another, they can begin to build vulnerability-based trust.

Building Trust by Being Vulnerable

Vulnerability-based trust can only exist when we are confident that our peers have good intentions and that there’s no reason to be defensive or cautious around them. Without this type of trust, teams can waste time and energy concealing their weaknesses and mistakes, hesitating to ask for help, and assuming the worst about their teammates’ intentions and abilities.

When a team has vulnerability-based trust, they can channel their energy towards more productive tasks instead of managing their image. By utilizing the collective skills and support of the team, we can make our jobs easier and build a strong foundation for teamwork. Trust is demonstrated within a team through actions and behaviors that promote support and a shared sense of purpose. Team members who trust each other are more likely to openly share ideas, concerns, and feedback, creating an environment where everyone feels heard and valued.

However, building trust can be challenging due to fears and concerns that may hold us back. It’s crucial to be aware of these fears so we can start to overcome them. For instance, some team members may fear disapproval and may be hesitant to share their weaknesses or mistakes, as they want to maintain a positive image in front of others. Understanding why others struggle with trust can allow us to think about ways to help our teammates feel comfortable enough to let their guard down.

Taking Action to Build Vulnerability-Based Trust

Building team trust doesn’t just happen overnight. It requires time, shared experiences, and multiple instances of follow-through to establish credibility. Additionally, it is important to have an in-depth understanding of each team member’s unique attributes so you can work better together. However, some habits can help speed up the process of establishing vulnerability-based trust among teammates. For example, when teams readily apologize for their mistakes, it encourages others to do the same and it can improve trust and communication between teammates.

To build a truly trusting team, everyone, including the leader, needs to be willing to take risks. By being open and vulnerable, the team can create an environment where honesty, empathy, and understanding can thrive. This foundation allows individuals to feel safe sharing their thoughts, fears, and uncertainties, leading to stronger relationships and a more resilient, innovative, and cohesive team. When trust is celebrated as a crucial aspect of the team culture, it drives the group towards achieving greater success and fulfillment in their endeavors. Learn more about how The Five Behaviors can activate your team’s potential here.

This blog content belongs to Everything DiSC, a Wiley brand.

How do you unite three global groups into one cohesive team and set them up for success?

Achieving high performance in the competitive tech industry is a challenging endeavor. Discover how, through The Five Behaviors solution, this Microsoft Business Unit acquired a unified language and essential tools for fortifying their teams. Their advancement in accountability helped clarify individual roles and expectations, as well as those at the company level, boosting their productivity and organizational visibility. As team members started aligning with the goals and priorities set during their offsite, silos diminished. This alignment led to a noticeable improvement in their daily work routines and interrelationships across Microsoft.

Finding a sustainable solution to that question ranked at the top of Darci Kleindl’s task list when she accepted the role as general manager of sales enablement and sales excellence for the Microsoft Business Solutions (MBS) organization within the Dynamics division.

Kleindl entered a unique and challenging business situation with her new position. Three weeks into her role, the Dynamics business leaped from being Microsoft’s eighth-largest business to being at the core of Microsoft’s strategy. With a global team of customer support managers, all of whom work with diverse clientele, and a team of leaders who drive worldwide standards for sales basics as well as internal and external readiness, Kleindl needed a way to understand her team while redefining their purpose and place in the company.

Invest in Impact

As a business leader, Kleindl’s natural instinct drove her to seek out the best solution to this workplace challenge rather than settling for a temporary fix. She was determined to develop a comprehensive leadership and team development program—enriching her work culture with trust, collaboration, and accountability. Kleindl sought the expertise of her trusted advisor, Bruce Leamon, President of the Leamon Group, and a Five Behaviors^® Authorized Partner. Together, they created the Organizational Capital Program, a multi-year program that focuses on developing leadership, coaching skills, emotional intelligence, and a culture of teamwork.

“I wanted to give my colleagues an end-to-end picture of who they are, from their own understanding as well as from other people’s perspectives—to understand how your personality can relate to your leadership skills,” Kleindl says. She wanted to provide her team with an opportunity that would influence their personal and professional growth.

Leamon recommended The Five Behaviors^® Team Development to be the foundation for the Organizational Capital Program. The Five Behaviors® is a unique learning experience based on Patrick Lencioni’s New York Times best-selling leadership fable, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The assessment and accompanying facilitated learning experience help intact teams understand how they score on the pillars of The Five Behaviors model: Trust, Conflict, Commitment, Accountability, and Results, and how they can improve on these behaviors to become a productive, high-functioning team.

“It was critical for us to adopt a common language and framework that fit within our existing initiatives. The Five Behaviors provides a comprehensive assessment of the team’s current state while providing crisp guidance toward next steps,” Leamon explains.

Powered by Everything DiSC^®, a personality assessment that helps people communicate better and develop more effective relationships, The Five Behaviors encourages teams to have challenging, productive conversations that will guide them toward building a truly cohesive and efficient team. Before starting the program, each participant takes a DiSC^® assessment to identify and understand their personalized profile. Comprised of D: Dominance, i: Influence, S: Steadiness, and C: Conscientiousness, participants see how their style impacts the group’s overall success and can use this information to learn how to effectively communicate with their peers, which is crucial for any successful Five Behaviors program experience.

The Evolution of Teamwork

To kick off the Organizational Capital Program, Kleindl arranged for her global teams from the US, EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa), and Asia to gather in person for a two-day offsite for The Five Behaviors of a Cohesive Team workshop. Leamon facilitated the program and began by establishing vulnerability-based trust, the foundation of The Five Behaviors model.

Using the common language of DiSC, the team felt comfortable enough to be vulnerable and share personal experiences with each other. This allowed them to build relationships beyond the workplace. By connecting through stories about personal challenges and accomplishments, Kleindl’s team felt safe to have crucial conversations about their current and future state as a group.

“There was suddenly a feeling that you were part of a bigger entity here and you weren’t just an individual,” said participant Dilip Popet, EMEA Enterprise, CSM Director. “When we started talking about our values, we started connecting at a different level.”

They dove deep into The Five Behaviors and identified areas of improvement, particularly in conflict and commitment, and defined actionable next steps. When establishing their core values, they participated in healthy conflict and, as a result, experienced a huge payoff: all forty participants came to complete agreement.

Turn this into an inline graphic: “When we started talking about what our values are, we started connecting with each other at a different level.” — Dilip Popet, EMEA Enterprise, CSM Director

As the team progressed, Kleindl noticed a physical shift in the team’s energy level and engagement. “I would say it went from a little resistance to excitement, to surprise, to really full engagement, and ultimately, at the end, to fun,” she said. Everyone was an active participant and took accountability to be present. In just two days, the MBS group established team camaraderie that would help keep them grounded and connected when they returned to the workplace.

An Ongoing Transformation

To be a high-performing team in the competitive tech industry is no easy feat, but with The Five Behaviors set as their foundation, Kleindl’s agile MBS group has the common language and tools needed to strengthen their teams. The team’s progress on accountability allowed them to understand their roles and expectations on an individual level as well as company-wide, which has increased their productivity and visibility as an organization. Silos faded as people began to embrace the goals and priorities they had established at their offsite. They began to experience a positive shift in their daily work routine and relationships throughout Microsoft.

“I truly enjoy what I’m doing. The program enables me to do the best work I can possibly do in the organization,” says Popet. “I definitely feel more at home in this team. Our environment truly cares about people and empowers me to reach out more, bringing out more from within myself.”

The Five Behaviors prepared the team to address emotional intelligence, coaching, and leadership development as they moved forward in the Organizational Capital Program. “This program actually gave me something actionable that the team could see, more at a collective level but also at an individual level,” says Kleindl. “I got emails from people saying, ‘No one has ever invested in me in this way. It’s fantastic!’”

With The Five Behaviors integrated into their work culture, the MBS team has harnessed the power of teamwork as their ultimate competitive advantage. This ensures that they can not only adapt to challenges but can consistently elevate their collaborative dexterity, positioning them for success in an ever-evolving business landscape. Learn how The Five Behaviors can help your teams soar.

Different people are going to have very different needs in the exact same situation. As leaders and managers, we need to be mindful that what we instinctively think people should need is not actually always what they really need. And if the manager has the bandwidth, DiSC is a really nice little cheat sheet for things to be on the lookout for.

Ultimately, if managers can understand what people actually need in a crossroads time like this, then even a very small, targeted action can make a really profound difference in that person’s life.

Watch this 9-minute video by Wiley Research Director Mark Scullard about how different DiSC styles respond to changes. Get this one-pager training material about the DiSC Style Needs During Times of Change here.

In light of the last two years, it makes sense that employees want to work for organizations that have a clear vision for the future, with a focus on relationships and effective communication. As we shared in an earlier Wiley Workplace Research article, employees said that when those things are present, they are less stressed and more productive. Conversely, employees who work for an organization that lacks direction and has poor communication feel higher levels of stress and are less productive, which could lead to employee burnout.

Burnout, defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy, is a huge problem for organizations. It can lead to turnover, disengagement, and loss of productivity. It’s an even bigger problem for people because it can cause a lack of fulfillment, exhaustion, and poor performance. The instability and chaos of the pandemic, followed by sudden staffing shortages caused by The Great Resignation, have only increased these feelings, and has led to a recent phenomenon called “Quiet Quitting.”

Originating on the social media platform TikTok, the concept of Quiet Quitting was that burned-out employees declared that they were no longer going to go above and beyond for organizations that have not prioritized people in the years since the pandemic and subsequently, The Great Resignation. Many employees who decide to quiet quit have been tasked with doing the jobs of multiple people and working extra hours with less communication from organizational leadership, often with no added compensation or benefits to match the increased workload and stress. In fact, Quiet Quitting is a bit of a misnomer, as individuals are not quitting their jobs, but instead are embracing more healthy boundaries around their work lives as a result of burnout.

As firm believers that an organization’s true potential lies within its people, we wanted to learn more about the causes of burnout, its pervasiveness, and how to help organizations create a culture that engages and supports employees – no Quiet Quitting needed.

To have a better understanding, we asked 5,014 professionals, individual contributors, and C-suite executives alike, about burnout. The results are alarming, with 97% experiencing some level of work-related stress and a shocking 86% reporting feelings of burnout. That’s why we’ve dedicated an entire series to this topic. Over the next few months, we’ll be sharing our research findings around employee burnout, so that you can take actionable steps to reduce its impact on your organization.

What Causes Burnout?

While there are many sources that can lead to feelings of burnout, we found that having rapidly shifting priorities can be a key driver. Of course, it’s natural for organizational priorities to change based on demand or need. During the pandemic, many organizations were compelled to pivot and reexamine their business models and strategies, and in the aftermath of The Great Resignation, they have had to adjust to an almost constantly changing workforce. With all of these rapid changes being implemented over the past few years, employees feel the pace has yet to slow down and are often tasked with taking on job responsibilities outside the scope of their role to make up for the loss of people and positions. In fact, 63% of the people we surveyed felt the amount of change and initiatives within their organization had increased since last year. The sheer number of priorities, often contradictory or competing, make it challenging for employees to effectively support and implement new company strategies.

On top of the increased number of priorities, employees feel like they are being kept in the dark about what’s happening at a leadership level. Almost half of employees surveyed said leadership failed to communicate prior to executing changes in strategy. What’s interesting is that 60% of the executives in our survey felt these changes were communicated, which highlights a well-known insight: It’s not always a lack of communication, but rather a disconnect between how information is presented and how it is received. This misunderstanding can unintentionally bolster feelings of stress or employee burnout.

Managers Set the Tone – and Need Support

Managers are expected to pivot and implement changes to meet the diverse demands of their organization. To do this, they need to not only understand leadership priorities and changes in strategy but also how to communicate them effectively while engaging a potentially stressed and overwhelmed workforce. They must also be prepared to support the implementation of these new initiatives so they can effectively lead their teams through change and reduce the risk of employee burnout throughout the process by creating a culture that engages employees instead of alienating them.

In our survey, only half of managers said they knew why shifts in priorities and changes in strategy were being made. This lack of clarity risks amplifying feelings of uncertainty and confusion, increasing the risk of wasted time, strained relationships, and lowered team performance. Managers are stressed, and they continue to need support to be effective at their jobs. They are facing constant pressure to perform despite the increased workloads, constant changes, understaffed teams, and inadequate communication from leadership which can lead to feelings that precipitate the decision to Quiet Quit. This, coupled with an unclear understanding of how they are expected to implement strategic changes within their teams has not only given rise to manager burnout but likely added to feelings of burnout among their team members.

It’s clear that employees and managers alike are experiencing burnout for a variety of reasons. Although it is doubtful that the pace of change is going to slow down anytime soon, there are steps you can take to reduce systemic burnout in your organization.

How to Reduce Burnout and Prevent Quiet Quitting

First, real-time agility and adaptation to change should be skills that are valued and promoted within your organization. Having a solid and well-considered rollout plan when it comes to new strategies is also recommended. Organizations can simplify and clarify changes in their strategy by taking a “less is more” approach. While there are many ways to achieve clarity, we suggest changes be conceptualized within the framework of the company’s vision and values. When people see the connection between new initiatives and the overall company vision, they’re more likely to understand and support the new plans.

Once changes in strategy have been aligned with the company’s vision and initiatives, they must be shared with all employees using an effective communication plan. The plan should include opportunities to share your message across multiple channels and with proper consistency. In this case, repetition is key to reaching as many employees as possible.

Another way to manage employee burnout amid constant change is by shaping a culture of connectedness, not just to the strategy but to each other. Our research revealed that two-thirds of employees feel there is a lack of cohesion in their organization due to rapidly shifting priorities and this constant change leaves many feeling directionless and alone – a key factor in why people choose to Quiet Quit. Leadership must ensure that there is a culture of interconnectedness, so employees feel supported and engaged with their organization and their people.

With clear communication, engagement, and agility organizations can create cultures that promote connectedness while preventing the burnout that has the potential to lead to Quiet Quitting. When we focus on creating clarity of vision, effective communication, and a cohesive culture, employees are less likely to burn out, allowing productivity and collaboration to flourish.

This blog content belongs to Everything DiSC, a Wiley brand.