DISC and MBTI

DiSC is an acronym for the four primary dimensions of behavior. Whether you act more D,I,S or C (usually highlighted in colours Red, Yellow, Green and Blue respectively) The is a judgmental assessment of people and categorizes them into 4 types or sometimes into a blend of according to the mix of colours eg Red(D) and Blue(C).

Dominance - direct, results-oriented, strong-willed and forceful.
Influence - outgoing, enthusiastic, optimistic and lively.
Steadiness - even-tempered, accommodating, patient and humble.
Conscientiousness - analytical, reserved, precise and systematic.

See http://www.4sight4business.co.uk/about_disc.aspx

Whereas MBTI is about people's thinking. Whether you have a preference to think more E than I, S or N, T or F, J or P. This is less judgmental of your behavior and more about preferences. It also provides for 4 x 4 = 16 combination and therefore seems more flexible than categorizing into 4 simple types.

Extraversion (E) - (I) Introversion
Sensing (S) - (N) Intuition
Thinking (T) - (F) Feeling
Judgment (J) - (P) Perception


[E]xtraverts are action oriented, while [I]ntroverts are thought oriented
[S]ensing and i[N]tuition are the information-gathering (perceiving) functions
[T]hinking and [F]eeling are the decision-making (judging) functions
Preference for [J]udging function (thinking or feeling) or [P]erceiving function (sensing or intuition)

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myers-Briggs_Type_Indicator

I think that the former may be helpful in categorizing and understanding behaviors, whereas the latter may be more useful in influencing people since it is fundamentally about how people prefer to think, receive and process data and that must surely be the route to influencing them.

I would be really interested in feedback.