Smart HR has worked with over 80 clients representing a wide range of industries from biotech to banking and telecommunications to trade associations. To gain a better understanding of Smart HR’s services and its positive impact on its clients, Smart HR will periodically present a case study highlighting how Smart HR customized an HR solution based on a client’s unique needs and achieved real, tangible results. Today’s case study focuses on how Smart HR helped a forward-thinking, rapidly-growing government contractor transform its culture.
CORE VALUES MEET DISC
Background
A small government contractor in Virginia providing IT solutions contracted with Smart HR for assistance identifying the core values that set them apart from their competitors. The company’s leadership partnered with Smart HR consultants, Jen Paragas and Julia Reed, to help reveal and articulate their core values that are time tested, true to their company identity, and unwavering in the face of controversy or challenge. Through a highly creative and collaborative process, the following five values were identified:
- Be Proactive
- Lead By Service
- Think Big Picture
- Trust Through Transparency
- Grow Through Learning
Next, they identified strategic places to integrate the company’s behaviors and actions to not only uphold but ritualize these values.
Challenges
The leadership team deliberated on the most authentic, productive way to grow and sustain their very talented, ambitious, multicultural and multigenerational staff. How do you take the foundational components of the five core values and instill them into each and every team member to honor every person’s diversity, transcend any formal HR process and become the DNA of a company? What other companies have successfully accomplished this admittedly aggressive goal? Without much time to slow down with new contracts imminent, this identity glue was needed to help solidify their competitive advantage, and nourish and propel the staff and their unique contributions forward.
Actions
To further integrate these desired behaviors, the team looked at several research-based behavioral assessments to find natural ways to leverage and appreciate the five unique core values. The team selected the DISC behavioral assessment tool based on the DISC theory of psychologist William Moulton Marston, that centers on four different personality traits: Dominance (D), Influence (I), Steadiness (S) and Conscientiousness (C). By identifying the unique blend of an organization’s personality traits and creating a DISC profile, a company can help individuals learn more about themselves and their coworkers. Look for an upcoming Smart HR blog for more information on how a DISC assessment is performed and how it can benefit organizations.
Under Jen Paragas’ facilitation, Smart HR first piloted the tool with the leadership team and then with the entire company. All staff assembled to analyze and present their Individual DISC and a group behavioral dynamics report. Insightful trends began to emerge around personality style, communication strengths and weaknesses of each team member, situations or DISC types that are harder for certain DISC types to manage, and last, the preferred ideal work environment for each team member. Break out groups ensued as part of a customized DISC workshop held to maximize communication and break down differences in how the staff approached problems, relationships, work pace and procedures. The group workshop concluded with a spirited and heartfelt “Learning Circle” where each participant voiced their most important discovery.
Results
Behavioral research suggests the most effective people understand themselves, can identify their strengths and weaknesses and know their unconscious and communication biases enabling them to develop strategies to meet their environmental demands. This Smart HR client went a step further and leveraged their unique DISC primary communication type as a platform to enhance their core values, improve communications, build better work groups, recognize and build on profile strengths, identify strategies to supplement weaker areas and develop better relationships. Simply stated, team members are now primed to meet and adapt to others more successfully. Without this framework, misunderstandings can occur when people don’t realize they are approaching their communications with a different style. As they continue to grow, personally and professionally, this Smart HR client reports it is looking forward to finding new ways to respectfully challenge each another, compliment one another’s behavior style, speak other’s DISC conflict language and breathe more life into the company’s underpinning core values.
Call Smart HR for Your Own DISC Assessment
Among its many HR offerings, Smart HR has consultants, like Jen and Julia, trained in conducting DISC assessments. The DISC assessment tool can be used in management training, conflict resolution, employee development, sales training and team building. Call Smart HR today for more information.
