Occasionally you may receive Extended DISC® Personal Analysis results indicating that the results are “Invalid”. The reason that you may receive this message is that the Extended DISC® System does not generate a report when the validity of the results is very low. Rather than providing you with information that may be misunderstood, misinterpreted or misused, the system does not generate a report.
An invalid profile is a result of a person not answering the questionnaire consistently. There are several underlying reasons that can cause an invalid profile. Please keep in mind that an invalid profile does not indicate a problem. It simply means that you may need to look deeper into the situation. The most common causes are that the respondent:
was simply not paying attention to the questionnaire or was somehow distracted and not able to fully concentrate on the responses.
tried to project an image that is not the real person. For example, the person may believe that they need to be something that he/she is not. Extended DISC® Personal Analysis will detect this and alert you.
is under a lot pressure and/or stress. The causes of the stress/pressure can be work related, personal or both.
When you receive an invalid profile, the best course of action is to ask the person to complete the questionnaire again. In a vast majority of cases, the second profile is valid. However, you need to use some tact when asking the person to respond again because you need to be careful not to place more pressure on him/her. You may want to blame the situation on the technology.
This is what you could say: “Would you mind completing the questionnaire again? There must have been an interruption in the online connection and the system did not capture all of your responses. I am sorry about the inconvenience.”
The Extended DISC® Personal Analysis offers you several additional assessment options. Once an individual completes the questionnaire, you can customize the assessment reports to provide the information that is really needed.
There are ten Additional Style Assessments available:
Leadership (Strategic)
Management (Tactical)
Sales
Customer Service
Entrepreneurial
Team
Administrative
Information Technology
Project
Training (For trainers)
Most of the Extended DISC® users select two or three of the additional style assessments at one time. When deciding what additional style assessments to use, think of the specific behavioral areas you are trying to develop or evaluate.
How can Extended DISC® identify both my “natural’ style and how I perceive I must adjust my behavior in my work environment?
The way our brains work at unconscious and conscious levels is that we naturally focus consciously on the “most” answers more than the “least” answers. As a result, our conscious behavior style (i.e. the adjusted style) is calculated mostly from the “most” answers. Similarly, our unconscious style is calculated primarily from the “least” answers.
I found it a little difficult to complete the questionnaire. In some questions I felt that more than one statement described me well, but in others none of the answers seemed to fit. Why is this?
Extended DISC® Personal Analysis, like many assessment tools, is based on a forced-choice questionnaire. The process allows the system to identify both the natural and adjusted styles accurately while keeping the questionnaire process to a very reasonable 7-10 minutes. Try not to overanalyze the questions; use your intuition. You will be pleased with the results.
Why do I not agree with some of the statements made in my Personal Analysis report?
Humans are very complex beings. No assessment can capture all of the different aspects of our human entity.
As a result, the answer to this question has four main points:
Extended DISC® Personal Analysis measures only behavioral style. There are many other facets to an individual.
The individual may have already identified a development area and has taken a conscious effort to improve.
An individual has a strong bias toward a certain style and believes that his/her style is different from the “true” style.
Assessment results are not 100% accurate - nor is the target of the analysis 100% stable. Typically, the underlying reasons relate to some distractions that occur when a person completed the questionnaire or the desire to influence/skew the results. Also, if the questionnaire was filled out under strong emotional distraction, the tool may have responded to that emotional status to the extent that the actual behavioral result became difficult to interpret. Extended DISC® has many mechanisms to uncover and to prevent this from taking place. However, it is possible that under the above-mentioned situations the results may not completely reflect the individual’s behavioral style.
One should always assume that an individual could best assess his/her own style. Therefore, never try to convince a participant the report is “right”. That is not the purpose of Extended DISC®. The objective is to improve performance.
No. The length and the direction of the arrow indicate what type of adjustment the person feels he/she must or wants to make. A longer arrow indicates that the person simply feels that a greater conscious adjustment is needed in the present environment.
Helpful Tips in a handout format about using and interpreting the Conflict Dynamics Profile.
1. How is the CDP different from other conflict instruments?
The CDP focuses on conflict behaviors, not styles. Since behaviors are more susceptible to change, the CDP is designed to bring tangible improvements to a person's performance. The CDP is also available in both self-assessment and multirater versions with the latter including feedback delineated among boss, peers, and direct reports. The multirater version of the CDP produces a complete "conflict profile" by providing feedback on:
what provokes an individual
how that individual perceives the way he or she responds to conflict
how others view that individual responding to conflict
how the individual responds before, during, and after conflict
which responses to conflict have the potential to harm one's position in a particular organization
The instrument also comes with a thorough Development Guide containing information, advice, and activities for strengthening conflict management skills and building strong interpersonal relationships.
2. Who is able to get certified in the CDP?
In order to administer the CDP-360 a person must be certified. Applicants for certification must possess the following qualifications:
bachelor's degree
organizational experience in training, human resources, organizational development, or conflict resolution
previous involvement with assessment instruments
3. How do I get certified in the CDP?
There are three different ways you can become certified:
attend a one-day, open-enrollment certification workshop on the Eckerd College campus (these are held six times per year)
schedule a custom certification program for several people at the site of your choice
arrange to be certified individually
4. What are the benefits of using the CDP?
provides a strategy for addressing workplace conflict
improves individual and team performance
reduces management time spent dealing with conflict
increases leadership capabilities by developing stronger conflict resolution skills
builds a win-win conflict culture
5. When should the CDP be used?
managers spending too much time dealing with conflict
team efficiency is compromised
organizational culture is undergoing change
productivity is decreasing
new leaders need improved conflict resolution skills
6. When do you use the CDP-360 vs. the CDP-Individual?
Although both versions of the CDP offer feedback about conflict behaviors, there are differences between the two instruments which should be considered before planning training/coaching interventions. The primary distinction is that the CDP-I is a “self-report” (it only looks at how you view yourself), whereas the CDP-360 is a full-spectrum tool which gives not only your self-view but also delineates feedback from boss, peers, and direct reports. In addition, the CDP-360 feedback report is much more extensive than the CDP-I feedback report and offers an in-depth view of a person’s responses to conflict.
Given this difference, some users choose the CDP-I for introductory programs, situations where the participants are less experienced, or as part of a longer program where many topics are being discussed. The CDP-360 is ideal for mid to upper-level managers who want concentrated feedback, programs specifically on conflict, or instances where a person has already taken the CDP-I and would now like to go further with their developmental planning. Much depends on the objectives of the intervention, the person’s previous experience with assessment instruments, and the overall context in which the feedback will be given.
7. How much does the CDP cost?
You must be certified before purchasing the instrument. View our pricing for certification and the cost of the instruments by clicking here.
Frequently Asked Questions
