Protime time management: see your project in colours - Part 1

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of following the DISC (rainbow) training and obtained a certification in this method, which distinguishes the 4 major types of personalities associated with colours and certain characteristics. The goal of this training was to teach me an intuitive tool and, therefore, for Protimers to be able to use it daily to communicate better within their team and beyond. However, the benefits of the method quickly appeared to me as much more numerous and far-reaching.

In particular, I realised that this method could be of interest to the HR department, which sometimes has to get their colleagues to accept the idea of a time management solution.

The DISC method: What is it?

Firstly, let me explain a bit about the 4 main types of personalities of this well-known approach. In the very name of the model, we find the different profiles of this method: DISC is an acronym for Dominant, Influential, Stable, and Conscientious.

The 4 DISC profiles

Les 4 profils DISC

The objective is to determine which of these profiles corresponds to each of the company's employees by asking a series of questions. These 4 profiles are positioned on a graph composed of a horizontal axis ranging from introversion to extroversion and a vertical axis ranging from feelings to reasoning.

In this first part of my article, I will talk about the so-called "reasoning" profiles, namely red and blue.

• The Dominant is within extroversion and reasoning: its colour is therefore red. Very objective-oriented, they overflow with energy and are constantly in action and movement. A bit of a go-getter, they are also characterised by their speed, demand and independence. They can sometimes become a bit directive and then transform into a leader.
• The Conscientious, on the other hand, lies within introversion and reasoning: his or her colour is blue. Careful and analytical, they usually take the time to think before acting. In effect, they need to measure and have all the objective elements of a situation in hand to make their decision. They particularly like detail and precision. They are also rather formal and respectful people.

A better understanding for better communication

Of course, the purpose of the DISC method is not to confine you into a double-lock box. On the contrary, we all possess a bit of each of the four profiles. However, a colour, and therefore a personality, is still dominant in all of us.

And while it is interesting to know which one characterises us the most, it is even more interesting to know what corresponds to the people around us. Knowing precisely which profile the person you are dealing with has, greatly facilitates communicating with them. And that's exactly why I find this method particularly interesting for HR. Let's take the example of a project to set up a time management tool. If HR is convinced of the added value of such a change, it is not always the same for all managers/employees. What if you approached them with arguments fitted perfectly according to their colour?

DISC method and an HR project: a well-matched marriage

If HR is convinced of the added value of switching to an automated time management system, the integration of this software is sometimes misperceived by employees who compare it with a form of control: “It's only to check if I've performed all my hours.” For their part, managers can see it as a source of discontent for their team and also new responsibilities for them with the assignment of certain tasks usually managed by HR. And yet, this is not the case. What if you addressed each of the workers according to their colour and therefore presented them with the argument that will make a difference and convince them to join your project?

Arguments based on each personality

 This is where the DISC method comes into play. By deploying it, you can more easily understand the profile of each of your employees and know exactly which arguments will make them understand all the advantages of such a solution.

• Knowing that red or dominant profiles are mainly goal-oriented, they very often adhere to the credo "time is money." They will, therefore, be sensitive to the fact that a time management solution allows for the best planning of available resources or to anticipate recruitment needs in case of excessive overtime. To illustrate this benefit, it is enough to remind them of the high cost of irregular working hours, due to the premiums to be paid to workers and the cost of the decrease in productivity that inevitably results from repeated extended working hours. 
• For the conscientious or blue profiles, it is the detailed aspect of the time management solution that will convince them of its usefulness. Among other things, it will allow them to measure very precisely and objectively the hours worked, and the accuracy of the payslip comes as a result. 

I invite you to read the second part of my article to find out what personality traits correspond to the yellow and green profiles and how to present your project to them in a powerful way.

Sophie Henrion