You want to help your team understand each other better, and two names keep coming up: DiSC and MBTI. Both describe differences between people. Both have been used in organisations for decades. So which one should you choose?
The right answer depends less on the tool than on your need. The MBTI® and Everything DiSC® do not look at the same thing and do not serve exactly the same purposes. In fact, they often complement each other.
In this article, we explain what each one measures, how they differ, and how to choose based on your situation.
The MBTI®: understanding your personality preferences
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI®) was developed in the 1940s by Katharine Cook Briggs and her daughter Isabel Briggs Myers. It draws on the theory of psychological types published in 1921 by the Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung.
The MBTI® describes your preferences across four dimensions:
- Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I): where you draw your energy from;
- Sensing (S) or Intuition (N): how you take in information;
- Thinking (T) or Feeling (F): how you make decisions;
- Judging (J) or Perceiving (P): how you approach the outside world.
The combination of these four preferences gives one of 16 types (for example ISTJ or ENFP). The questionnaire is administered by certified practitioners.
Its strength: a rich reading of personality as a whole, useful for self-awareness, career guidance and personal development. As its publisher, The Myers-Briggs Company, points out, it should never be used for recruitment: it measures preferences, not skills.
Everything DiSC®: understanding behaviour at work
The DiSC model has its origins in the work of American psychologist William Moulton Marston, published in 1928. Everything DiSC® is the modern version, developed and validated by the publisher Wiley.
It describes observable behaviours at work based on two axes: pace (active vs. reflective) and orientation (task-oriented vs. people-oriented). These axes form four styles:
- D (Dominance): direct, results-oriented;
- i (Influence): enthusiastic, people-oriented;
- S (Steadiness): reliable, cooperative;
- C (Conscientiousness): precise, analytical.
Rather than a fixed type, each person is located by a dot on a circle: you can see their dominant style, but also its intensity and nuances. The questionnaire is adaptive: it adjusts its questions based on your answers for greater precision.
Its strength: a simple language that everyone remembers after a single session, and directly applied to daily professional life: communicating, managing conflict, managing, selling. Like the MBTI®, it is not designed for recruitment.
DiSC and MBTI at a glance
| MBTI® | Everything DiSC® | |
|---|---|---|
| What it describes | Personality preferences | Observable behaviours at work |
| Foundation | C. G. Jung's theory of types (1921) | Work of W. M. Marston (1928) |
| Result | One of 16 types (e.g. ENFP) | One of 4 styles, precisely located on a circle |
| Level of analysis | The person as a whole | The person in a professional setting |
| Ease of recall | Requires time to internalise (4 letters, 16 types) | Immediate (4 styles) |
| Typical uses | Self-awareness, guidance, personal development | Communication, team cohesion, management, conflict, sales |
| Recruitment | Not recommended by the publisher | Not recommended by the publisher |
| Administration | By a certified practitioner | Via an authorised Wiley partner or certified practitioner |
Neither is "better" in absolute terms: they answer different questions.
Which tool should you choose for your needs?
MBTI® is often the right choice if:
- you are supporting someone in deep self-reflection;
- you are working on career guidance or transition;
- you have time to explore the 16 types in depth.
Everything DiSC® is often the right choice if:
- you want to improve communication and collaboration within a team;
- you are looking for a common language that everyone remembers and uses from the very next day;
- you are working on a specific issue: management, conflict resolution, leadership, customer relations;
- you are deploying an approach across an organisation, with specialised profiles (Workplace, Management, Productive Conflict, Work of Leaders, Sales).
And both together? It is possible, and sometimes very rewarding. A person can explore their personality with MBTI® in individual coaching, then use Everything DiSC® to work on their team dynamics. The two readings complement each other rather than oppose each other.
At Learning Partners, we practice both: we have been MBTI® Step II certified for over ten years and are an authorised Wiley partner for Everything DiSC®. This allows us to guide you towards the tool that truly serves your objective, rather than the one we happen to be able to facilitate.
In summary: if your question is "who am I?", MBTI® offers an in-depth reading. If it is "how can we work better together?", Everything DiSC® is generally more direct and operational.
A concrete example: the Red Hat France management team
The Red Hat France management team, twelve people, wanted to strengthen its cohesion and alignment. The issue was not self-awareness, but how to work together on a daily basis.
We supported them for nine months with The Five Behaviors®, the Patrick Lencioni model published by Wiley: trust, constructive conflict, commitment, accountability and results. This programme draws on each member's Everything DiSC® styles to understand how each contributes to the collective dynamic.
Over a nine-month period, [...] we witnessed a significant transformation in leadership.
Leonard Bodmer, Revenue Leader Western Europe, Red Hat
This is a typical case where a tool focused on workplace behaviours makes the difference: the question asked was collective and operational.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is DiSC simpler than MBTI®?
It is faster to remember: four styles, compared to sixteen types. This simplicity facilitates its daily use in teams. MBTI® offers a broader reading of personality, which requires more time to internalise.
Can DiSC or MBTI® be used for recruitment?
No. Both publishers advise against it: these tools describe preferences and behaviours, not skills. They are, however, very useful after hiring, for onboarding and management.
Can my DiSC style change?
Your base style generally remains stable, but your behaviours adapt to the context. DiSC helps you become aware of these adjustments and choose them.
Which one should I choose for a team that struggles to communicate?
For a communication or collaboration issue, Everything DiSC® is generally the most operational: everyone quickly understands their style and that of others, and knows how to adapt.
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Want to get a first idea of your style? Take our free 2-minute quiz.
Prefer to read at your own pace? Receive our "DiSC at Work" guide: the 4 styles and how to adapt your communication starting tomorrow.
Thinking about getting certified? Read also: Getting DiSC certified: 5 questions to ask before choosing your training.
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