American Journal Of Business Education – July/August 2013 Volume 6, Number 4

Comparing Correlations Between

Four-Quadrant And Five-Factor
Personality Assessments
Cathleen S. Jones, Robert Morris University, USA
Nell T. Hartley, Robert Morris University, USA

ABSTRACT

For decades, some of the most popular devices used in educating students and employees to the
values of diversity are those that are based on a four-grid identification of behavior style. The
results from the scoring of the instruments provide individual profiles in terms of a person’s
assertiveness, responsiveness, and preferred tone of interacting with his environment. In the past
decade, a five-factor framework has gained in popularity as an assessment instrument. The scope
of the current paper is a comparison of a four-factor instrument (questionnaire) to a five-factor
instrument (questionnaire) to establish correlations between the two. If the information can be
seen as being complimentary rather than disconnected, then users will benefit from synergy as
they encounter different instruments throughout their careers. Also, duplication of effort in terms
of using multiple instruments may be reduced.

Keywords: Personality Assessment; DISC; Five-Factor Model; Education; Organizational Behavior

INTRODUCTION

P eople have always tried, through anecdotal evidence, to make assumptions and develop myths and
superstitions that impact their lives (example: money can buy happiness . . . as long as you spend it
on other people). The importance of individuality in understanding behavior is best expressed by
Kurt Lewin, a neo-gestalt, in his formula: B=f(e x p). The behavior of any one person is due to who he is and the
environment in which he finds himself. While it is human nature to observe and pass judgment (categorize) the
people with whom we interact, based on anecdotal evidence, science offers a more reliable way of assessing others
and ourselves. Lewin was at the forefront of scholars who believed that a basic purpose of any science is to develop
theory. Theories are carefully worded statements specifying relations among variables that explain and predict what
will happen. In this paper, we seek to relate theory to practice. The purpose of one is to generate knowledge; the
purpose of the other is to be able to put the knowledge into practice (Sanderlands n.d.). Our understanding of the
transfer of knowledge encourages us to explore ways in which commonalities of theories lead to comprehension and
practice of knowledge.

In this paper, the micro unit of behavioral study is that of individual personality. Personality instruments
provide individual profiles in terms of a person’s assertiveness, approach to decision-making, responsiveness, and
preferred style of interacting with his environment. The two instruments being compared are the four-quadrant
Jungian-based DiSC and the Five-factor Model of Personality.

PURPOSE

Around 80 percent of the Fortune 500 companies use personality tests, such as the Myers-Briggs Type
Indicator, to assess their employees for the purpose of coaching, development, and team building (Dattner, 2008). A
review of the literature supports the need for understanding and validating this popular practice.

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The underlying assumed value of using personal assessments in class is that an understanding of the
knowledge provided will enable the person to become closer to reaching his full potential. Jung predicted
“…modern man can only know himself insofar as he can become conscious of himself” (Jung, 1957, 79). Having
an objective - if not always a 100% accurate descriptive theory of one’s self and the impact that one has on others -
may influence our interpersonal skill acquisition. Personality research supports the theory that recognition of one’s
preferred behavior and preferred environment influences the challenges one accepts and the decisions one is most
likely to make. “There is nothing so practical as a good theory” (Lewin, 1951, 100). The caveat here is that the
knowledge in no way determines what we are able to do.

An increased synergy is anticipated through the generalizations that apply to the results of this study.
Perspectives on learning, leadership, conflict resolution, and communication are natural extensions of personality
awareness. The instruments are based on theories. The reader is reminded that the point of this paper is not to
question the theories, but rather to show the similarities in them and their root derivation. Scholars have shown that
positive transfer occurs when learning in one context improves performance in another context (Perkins, 1992, 3);
i.e., a student who learns in one class that his style tends toward that of a “High I, High S” can build on that
information in a subsequent corporate training session where the trainer prefers to use the Five-factor vocabulary of
“Extravert, Agreeable.” Furthermore, the knowledge of “type/style” will help him further in understanding and/or
communicating with a difficult co-worker who defiantly says, “You just don’t understand me; I’m an ISTJ.” The
work by Allesandre - the discussion of a “Platinum Rule” - is an additional logical extension of the use of the
theories.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Writings which span popular and scholarly work exhort the importance of self-knowledge. Three such
scholars are Peter Senge, Daniel Goleman, and Peter Drucker. Peter Senge, in his well-received materials on
“learning organizations”, writes on the importance of the personal mastery which is defined as “learning to expand
our personal capacity to create the results we most desire, and creating an organizational environment which
encourages all its members” (Senge, Kleiner, Roberts, Ross, & Smith, 1994, pg. 6). It is his belief that people with a
high level of personal mastery achieve results that matter most to them personally. “People who excel in these skills
(personal awareness) do well at anything that relies on interacting smoothly with others; they are social stars”
(Goleman, 1995, 43-44). “And yet, a person can perform only from strength. One cannot build performance on
weaknesses, let alone on something one cannot do (or be) at all.” (Drucker 2005, 100)

Conventional wisdom is that each of us is unique because no environmental experiences of the genetic pool
are the same for any two people. Our personalities are an important determinant of our behavior. “Because
personality is an important determinant of how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, it is helpful to distinguish
between different types of personalities.” (Staw, 2004, p. 7) This idiographic research seeks to correlate data from
two differently constructed assessment tools - the four-quadrant DiSC and the Five-factor Personality Assessment.
As early as 400 BC, Hippocrates was trying to categorize personality types in an effort to understand individual
differences. It was a more recent scholar - Carl Jung - who discovered that one’s psychological make-up,
“temperament”, “style”, or “type” influences and limits one’s judgment and establishes one’s relationship to the
world. Over 1,400 dissertations, theses, books, and journal and newspaper articles have been published on these
personal inventories. The fundamental assumption behind identifying core responses and needs is that what may
seem like a random variation in behavior (i.e., clean car vs. dirty car people) occurs not by accident but by
observable differences in mental functioning – the way in which people prefer to gather, process, and disseminate
information.

Despite the variety of names used in the four-quadrant instruments to connote a person’s place in the grids
(Otter, INTF, Compliant, Color Yellow) and the proliferation of instruments, there is no appreciable difference in
concept and/or information (Motley & Hartley, 2005). There is alignment in information provided. The four-
quadrant instrument used in this research is the DiSC which takes its name from four basic types of behavior -
dominance, influencing, steadiness, and compliance. The current version is based on the works of Swiss
Psychologist Carl Jung and, later, by Americans William Marston, Walter Clark, Jack Mohler, and Tom Ritt (Ritt,
1980). The Personal DiSC Concept derives its underpinnings from William Marston, a physiological psychologist
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American Journal Of Business Education – July/August 2013 Volume 6, Number 4

writing in the 1920s and 1930s. The DiSC instrument measures surface traits and is intended to explain how they
lead to behavioral differences among individuals (Inscape Publishing, 1996).

In building on Jung’s theory of personality, Marston was concerned primarily with improving human
relationships. “Dr. Marston intended to explain how normal human emotions lead to behavioral differences among
people as well as to changes in a person’s behavior from time to time. His work focused on finding practical
explanations that would help people understand and manage their experiences in the world.” (Inscape Publishing,
1996, Pg. 2) “Marston sought to explain how people adjust to tensions within the environment by looking at their
emotional response to it and then relating this response to behavior.

Described on the discinsights.com website as the most universally accepted test for determining human
behavior, the four quadrants for the DISC personality test are:

 Drive/Dominance (D) – task-oriented, fast-mover, bottom-line-oriented

 Influence (I) – people-oriented, energetic, desire popularity and praise
 Steadiness (S) – very people and family-oriented, motivated by loyalty and security, slower-moving
 Compliance/Conscientiousness (C) – task and detail-oriented, wants all information, slower-moving

The DISC personality test has been taken by more than 50 million people and published in books that
appear in 35 languages (Harlow, T., 2009, October 9). “Studies have revealed that more than 81% of a participant’s
colleagues see DISC Assessment as a very accurate picture of a person’s habitual behavior patterns. Among those
who are primarily “D” in their style, accuracy is rated at 91%; for “I” types, it is 94%. Primarily, “S” type
individuals perceive 85% accuracy, while for “C” types, it is 82%. This gives us an 88.49% perceived accuracy,
with a standard deviation of 6.43%. In other words, the DISC Profile generated by this process is perceived as
highly accurate, in most situations, by most participants” (Personality Insights).

The Five-factor Theory, also known as the Five-factor Model (FFM) or the OCEAN, is based on research
into the concept of grouping of personality descriptors that began as early as 1917 (Goldberg, 1992). Years of
scrutinizing and testing the evolving theory provided a platform for the current model based primarily on the work
of Costa and McCrae. Their work in 1992 benefitted from the work of many independent researchers who had
begun to study known personality traits in order to find the underlying factors of personality (Digman, 1990). The
five factors are in a hierarchy and on a continuum. The theory addresses the relative presence of the following five
traits:

• Openness - open-minded, an interest in art, emotional, adventurous, new ideas, and curiosity
• Conscientiousness - typically self-disciplined, results-oriented and structured, traditional, and dutiful
• Extraversion - high energy level, people person, extrovert, and gets stimulated by being around others
• Agreeableness - compassionate, cooperative, ability to forgive and being pragmatic; let’s get the thing
done
• Neuroticism - sensible, vulnerable, in extreme - emotionally unstable and neurotic

Tables 1 and 2 contain a summary of a literature review presenting the advantages of the DISC personality
assessment and the Five-factor Model.

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Table 1: Advantages of DISC Personality Assessment

Advantages Citation(s)
Frequently used by business organizations Reynierse, J. H., Ackerman, D., Fink, A. A., & Harker, J. B.
(2000). The effects of personality and management role on
perceived values in business settings. International Journal of
Value - Based Management, 13(1), 1-13.
Easy to administer and interpret -Slowikowski, M. (2005). Using the DISC behavioral
instrument to guide leadership and communication. AORN
Journal, 82(5), 835. doi:10.1016/S0001-2092(06)60276-7
-The benefits of using Disc (2010). Retrieved from
http://www.discprofile.com/what-is-disc/benefits.htm
-Spies, R. A., & Plake, B. S. (Eds.). (2005). The sixteenth
mental measurements yearbook. Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute
of Mental Measurements
Has been shown to be a predictor of success in areas such as Deviney, D., Mills, L. H., & Gerlich, R. (2010). Environmental
employee retention, job success, sales management, and impacts on GPA for accelerated schools: A values and
persuading patients to accept treatment plans that are essential behavioral approach. Journal Of Instructional Pedagogies, 31-
for their health and well-being 15.
Proven to be reliable and consistent (2005). Disc validation research report. Inscape Publishing, 1-
22. Retrieved from http://www.discprofile.com/cart/includes/
templates/ppsi/pdfs/1.0/ResearchDiSC_ValidationResearchRe
port.pdf
Provides three perspectives: personal, private, and public Motley, 2005
which presents a more rounded view of personality

Table 2: Advantages of Five-factor Model

Advantages Citation(s)
Able to better understand people who score in the middle range Furnham, A. (1996). The big five versus the big four: The
(in comparison to MBTI (Myer Briggs Type Indicator)) relationship between the myers-briggs type indicator (mbti)
and neo-pi five-factor model of personality. Pergamon, 21(2),
303-307.
The FFM has been the most widely accepted working (McCrae & Costa, 1997)
hypothesis of personality structure (1997)
Evidence exists for the criterion-related validity of scores on Ehrhart, K. H., Roesch, S. C., Ehrhart, M. G., & Kilian, B.
FFM measures (2008). A test of the factor structure equivalence of the 50-
item ipip five-factor model measure across gender and ethnic
groups. Journal of Personality Assessment, 90(5), 507-516.
Equivalent translations exist in half a dozen languages which Thalmayer, A., Saucier, G., & Eigenhuis, A. (2011).
permits wider cross-cultural universality Comparative validity of Brief to Medium-Length Big Five
and Big Six Personality Questionnaires. Psychological
Assessment, 23(4), 995-1009. doi:10.1037/a0024165

Faculty Survey

To confirm the use of personality tests as assessment instruments in courses, a short survey of university
faculty was conducted. An email with a link to the survey was sent and 67 completed responses were received
during the data collection period of September 8-13, 2011.

The sample consisted of 38 women (57.6%) and 28 men (42.4%). Of the sample, 93.8% (61respondents)
listed their highest degree completed as a doctoral. The highest level degree was in Business (68.2%, 45
respondents) and the remaining 31.8% was evenly split between Education, Psychology, and Other. Responses to
the question about years teaching at the college/university level were fairly evenly split among the categories as
shown in Table 3. The survey respondents make up a good representation of university faculty, primarily in the
Business area.

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Table 3: Years Teaching

Frequency Percent
0-9 18 26.9
10-19 18 26.9
Valid 20-29 13 19.4
30+ 17 25.4
Total 66 98.5
Missing System 1 1.5
Total 67 100.0

Fifty-six respondents (83.6%) indicated that they administered personality tests in their courses. Those
who did not stated a variety of reasons, ranging from a lack of understanding of the test instruments to doubt about
the validity to concern about the impact on the students or the course, to an objection to the cost which would not be
reimbursed.

As shown in Table 4, Organizational Behavior was the most frequent response for the question about
courses in which the personality tests were administered, which is not surprising since the prospective respondents
were recruited from an Organizational Behavior-related email list.

Table 4: Course in Which Tests were Administered

# %
Organizational Behavior 44 65.7%
Principles of Management 12 17.9%
Freshman Experience 5 7.5%
Other 16 23.9%

A variety of personality tests was administered by the faculty responding to the survey. As seen in Table 5,
of the two personality instruments discussed in this article, the Big 5 was used much more widely than the DISC
personality test. Results were much more evenly split in terms of how many textbooks included personality tests.
According to the respondents, 59.1% (39) of their textbooks included personality tests.

Table 5: Type of Personality Test/Social Inventory Administered

# %
Myers-Briggs 35 52.2%
Big 5 27 40.3%
DISC 4 6%
Other 20 29.9%

Examining the results of the question of which personality tests are included in textbooks (Figure 1) helps
to explain the results for which personality tests are administered in courses. Of the textbooks that included
personality tests, the majority were Myers-Briggs and/or Big 5. From this brief survey, evidence exists that
personality tests are used in numerous courses.

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Figure 1: Name of Personality Tests/Social Inventories Included in Textbooks

Although the DISC personality assessment received a low number of responses for personality instruments
used in class and personality tests included in the textbook, it is used extensively in industry. Apparently, university
faculties are administering the Big 5 more often in class, but the DISC personality assessment is being used more by
industry. The question then presents itself as to whether knowledge of the Big 5 (Five-factory Theory Model) has
any transferability if students are presented with the DISC personality test at their jobs. The focus of the remaining
analysis will address this question and seek to determine if there is enough of a correlation between these two
personality instruments that knowledge of one instrument will inform people about the other personality test.

METHODOLOGY

Research Design

During a semester-long undergraduate course in Organizational Behavior at a small Northeastern

university, students completed multiple personal assessments. Two of the assessment instruments used were the
“Personal Concept” - also known as DISC by Jack Mohler - and the Five-factor Theory taken from a standard
textbook in Organizational Behavior. Students used unidentifiable code names and recorded the scores for both
instruments. Scores were plotted anonymously. Gender and major were self-reported.

Subjects

People involved in filling out the instruments were participants in an undergraduate class in which the use
of instruments is a central part of the learning experience. All students in the class filled out both personality
instruments. Eighty-nine out of the 110 students reported the results of both personality instruments (approximately
81% of the class). Recording the scores of the instruments is voluntary.

Sample Description

As shown in Table 6, the sample is weighted more heavily toward men than women - almost a 60/40 split;
however, the composition of the class was more male than female. Thus, the sample is a good representation of the
class and both genders were adequately represented. The majority of respondents were management and marketing
students, making up 61.8% of the sample. The breakdown of the majors in the student sample is shown in Table 7.

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Table 6: Gender of Respondents

Frequency Percent
Male 55 61.8
Female 32 36.0
Missing 2 2.2
Total 89 100.0

Table 7: Student Major

Number of Respondents Percent of Sample
Accounting 14 15.7
Finance 5 5.6
Hospitality and Tourism Management 3 3.4
Management 34 38.2
Marketing 21 23.6
Sports Management 6 6.7
Other (non-business) 4 4.4
Missing 2 2.2
Total 89 100.0

HYPOTHESES

Overall Hypothesis

There is a strong similarity in the characteristics represented in the four quads theories as represented by
DISC and in the Five-factor theory.

Hypothesis Formation

Hypotheses were formed by comparing the adjectives used to assess each respondent’s personality style,
(Hunter Wells International, 2005; Andre, R., 2008). Synonyms were compared and grouped together as shown in
Tables 8 and 9.

Table 8: DISC Adjectives

D I S C
forceful expressive restrained compliant
Strong-minded emotional satisfied careful
pioneering influential Easy mark correct
domineering attractive willing precise
determined stimulating Even-tempered fussy
demanding captivating patient timid
Self-reliant companionable kind Open-minded
persistent playful Self-controlled agreeable
High-spirited talkative Good-natured Soft-spoken
impatient convincing contented resigned
aggressive Good mixer gentle respectful
nervy poised accommodating conventional
argumentative confident relaxed cooperative
restless inspiring considerate Well-disciplined
courageous optimistic sympathetic diplomatic
positive eager lenient exacting
adventurous enthusiastic loyal adaptable
Will power entertaining Good listener humble
competitive Life-of-the-party obedient tolerant
vigorous persuasive neighborly cautious
outspoken eloquent reserved strict
dogged animated obliging devout
assertive gregarious nonchalant docile
bold outgoing moderate perfectionist
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Table 9: Five-factor Model Adjectives

Introversion/Passivity Extraversion/Energy Conscientious Undirected
Retiring Sociable Well organized Disorganized
Sober Fun-loving Careful Careless
Reserved Affectionate Reliable Undependable
Aloof Friendly Punctual Late
Inhibited Spontaneous Self-reliant Dependent
Quiet Talkative Businesslike Playful
Passive Active Persevering Quitting
Loner Joiner Hardworking Lazy
Task-oriented Person-oriented Practical Impractical
Follower Leader Conscientious Negligent

Traditional (closed) Adventurous (open) Stable Emotional

Conventional Original Calm Worrying
Down-to-earth Imaginative Relaxed High-strung
Uncreative Creative Even-tempered Temperamental
Narrow interests Broad interests Secure Insecure
Not curious Curious Patient Impatient
Unadventurous Daring Not envious Envious, jealous
Conforming Independent Adaptable Vulnerable
Prefer routine Prefer variety Objective Subjective
Traditional Untraditional Comfortable Self-conscious
Inartistic Artistic Self-satisfied Self-pitying

Tough-minded Agreeable
Critical Lenient
Serious Cheerful
Competitive Cooperative
Skeptical Trusting
Argumentative Agreeable
Stubborn Flexible
Egocentric Selfless
Cynical Gullible
Manipulative Straightforward
Proud Humble

Adjectives were compared to each other. Some of the adjectives were exact matches and some were found
using http://thesaurus.yourdictionary.com to find synonyms. Remaining synonyms not found on the website, but
determined to be logical matches, were also included. Symbols for the Hypothesis tables are:

 Synonyms were checked with http://thesaurus.yourdictionary.com.

 *synonyms found in http://thesaurus.yourdictionary.com
 +not found on synonym website, but considered to be a logical match

From the comparison of adjectives for both personality assessment instruments, the hypotheses shown in
Table 10 emerged.

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Table 10: Hypothesis Formation

Five-Factor Adjectives DISC Adjectives Hypotheses
Adventurous D Hypothesis #1: The ranking of D is
Adventurous Adventurous positively correlated with the ranking of
Original Pioneering Adventurous.
Daring Courageous*, Adventurous+, Bold*
Independent Self-reliant
Tough-minded D Hypothesis #2: The ranking of D is
Tough-minded Willpower+ positively correlated with the ranking of
Competitive Aggressive+ Tough-minded.
Argumentative Competitive+
Stubborn Forceful
Egocentric Argumentative
Proud Determined
Extraversion I Hypothesis #3: The ranking of I is
Extraversion Outgoing positively correlated with the ranking of
Sociable Companionable, Good mixer+, Gregarious, Extraversion.
Neighborly*
Fun-loving Entertaining+, Life-of-the-party+
Friendly Outgoing*
Talkative Talkative
Leader Influential+
Persuasive+
Agreeable S Hypothesis #4: The ranking of S is
Lenient Lenient positively correlated with the ranking of
Cooperative Accommodating*, Obliging+ Agreeable.
Agreeable Kind, Good-natured, Considerate+
Gullible Easy mark+
Stable S Hypothesis #5: The ranking of S is
Even-tempered Even-tempered positively correlated with the ranking of
Patient Patient, Gentle Stable.
Not envious Contented+
Comfortable Relaxed
Self-satisfied Contented+
Introversion/Passivity C Hypothesis #6: The ranking of C is
Retiring Timid* positively correlated with the ranking of
Quiet Soft-spoken+ Introversion.
Follower Compliant+
Conscientious C Hypothesis #7: The ranking of C is
Careful Careful positively correlated with the ranking of
Cautious* Conscientious.
Conscientious Precise+, Fussy+
Stable C Hypothesis #8: The ranking of C is
Calm Resigned* positively correlated with the ranking of
Even-tempered Docile+ Stable.
Adaptable Adaptable

ANALYSIS AND RESULTS

Data consisted of the actual scores for the Five-factor Model and a ranking of the DISC factors. Because
one of the variables (DISC) was ordinal in nature, a Spearman rank correlation coefficient was calculated to test the
hypotheses (Tables 11 and 12). For the correlations, only the left factors were included for the Five-factor Model
(FFM). The FFM left factors are the opposite of the right factors, so it was not considered necessary to test both
sides.

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Table 11: Correlation Matrix (Big Five With DISC)

Ranking for
D I S C
Big 5 Correlation coefficient .023 -.383** .063 .300**
Factor One LEFT Sig. (2-tailed) .846 .001 .583 .008
Introversion/Passivity N 77 76 77 76
Big 5 Correlation coefficient -.126 -.251* .234* .175
Factor Two LEFT Sig. (2-tailed) .275 .029 .040 .131
Traditional (closed) N 77 76 77 76
Big 5 Correlation coefficient .278* -.114 -.308** .157
Factor Three LEFT Sig. (2-tailed) .014 .327 .006 .175
Tough-minded N 77 76 77 76
Big 5 Correlation coefficient -.039 -.196 .054 .185
Factor Four LEFT Sig. (2-tailed) .737 .090 .639 .110
Conscientious N 77 76 77 76
Big 5 Correlation coefficient -.297** -.032 .275* .008
Factor Five LEFT Sig. (2-tailed) .009 .781 .016 .946
Stable N 77 76 77 76
Total N 86 85 86 85
*Correlations are significant at the .05 level (2-tailed)
**Correlations are significant at the .01 level (2-tailed)
Note: The results were also examined using Kendall’s Tau-b and yielded the same results, so only the Spearman rank correlation
coefficient results are presented here.

Table 12: Results Of Hypothesis Testing: Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient

Hypothesis #1: The ranking of D is positively Not supported: No significant correlation was found.
correlated with the ranking of Adventurous.
Hypothesis #2: The ranking of D is positively Supported: A significant positive correlation existed between the
correlated with the ranking of Tough-minded. ranking of Tough-minded and D was .278* which was significant at
the .05 level.
Hypothesis #3: The ranking of I is positively correlated Supported: I was negatively correlated with Introversion (the opposite
with the ranking of Extraversion. of Extraversion) at the .01 level. The correlation was -.383**.
Hypothesis #4: The ranking of S is positively correlated Supported: S was significantly negatively correlated with Tough-
with the ranking of Agreeable. minded at the level of .01 (correlation = -.308). This hypothesis was
supported since Tough-minded is the opposite of Agreeable.
Hypothesis #5: The ranking of S is positively correlated Supported: S was positively correlated with the ranking of Stable
with the ranking of Stable. (correlation = .275*; significant at the .05 level).
Hypothesis #6: The ranking of C is positively Supported: The correlation = .300**; significant at the .01 level.
correlated with the ranking of Introversion.
Hypothesis #7: The ranking of C is positively Not supported: no significant correlation found
correlated with the ranking of Conscientious.
Hypothesis #8: The ranking of C is positively Not supported: No significant correlation was found.
correlated with the ranking of Stable.

ADDITIONAL FINDINGS

 D was significantly negatively correlated at the .01 level with the ranking of Stable (correlation = -.297**).
 I was significantly negatively correlated at the .05 level with the ranking of Traditional (correlation = -
.251*).
 S was significantly positively correlated at the .05 level with the ranking of Traditional (correlation =
.234*).

CONCLUSIONS

Eight significant correlations between the Five-factor Model and the DISC personality assessment were
uncovered. Each correlation was consistent with both theories, including the additional correlations which were
found to be significant. No significant correlations contradicted any of the hypotheses. Therefore, a significant

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correlation exists between the Five-factor Model and the DISC personality assessment. The logical conclusion is
that knowledge of one of these personality assessments does provide information about the other. An understanding
of the Five-factor Theory Model used more widely in the classroom (according to the survey of university
professors) is likely to help the student understand the DISC personality assessment used more widely in industry.
Knowledge transferability appears to exist at least at some level for these two instruments. Josh Bersin, president
and CEO of Bersin & Associates, an Oakland, Calif., research firm stated, “Personality tests are ‘growing like
wildfire … the employment assessment market overall is worth about $2 billion, up 15 percent from last year.”
(Tahmincioglu, 2011) Also, as seen in the survey of university faculty, the majority of teachers (83.6%) use
personality assessments as part of their course content. Considering the wide use of personality tests at universities
and in the business world, the results of this analysis provide practical application for students seeking to apply what
they have learned at university to the working world. This study has provided recognition that multiple instruments
provide feedback that is complimentary. It is anticipated that with this new knowledge and synergistic application,
the Extravert/lion may actually lie down with the Intravert/lamb.”

FUTURE RESEARCH

Because the study only examined two personality assessments, a natural subject for further study would be
to analyze correlations between additional personality assessment instruments. Of particular interest would be if the
Five-factor Theory and the DISC personality assessment instrument were correlated with the Myers Briggs test
which was used the most by sample respondents (52.2%). Another direction for further research is to document the
connection between the personality descriptors and those describing conflict, learning, leadership, and
communication.

AUTHOR INFORMATION

Cathleen S. Jones is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Robert Morris University specializing in Marketing
Research, Social Media for Marketing, and International Marketing. She holds a Doctor of Science in Information
Systems and Communication from Robert Morris University, an MBA from the Tepper School at Carnegie Mellon
University, and a BA from Westminster College. Her doctoral field project examined the role of health information
and health icons on restaurant menus on restaurant patrons’ food choices. Other areas of interest include working
with Engineering on collaborative interdisciplinary projects and consulting with small businesses and the FDA. E-
mail: jones@rmu.edu (Corresponding author)

Nell Tabor Hartley is University Professor of Management at Robert Morris University. She has taught in the
Graduate School of Education and recently taught in Europe. She holds a B.A. from Agnes Scott College; M.S. from
University of Illinois, and Ph.D. from Vanderbilt University. A focus of her teaching and corporate consulting is
recognition and utilization of individual differences. She has twice received the president’s top teaching award. She
is an elected board member of Organizational Behavior Teaching Society and on the editorial board of Journal of
Management History. E-mail: hartley@rmu.edu

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