The Conflict Between Jim and Dwight Explained

It’s all in their personality style

I’m training to be certified in the DISC assessment and, during the training, a great insight came to me like a meteor dropping from the sky and hitting me on the head - the cause of 99% of the conflict between me and my boyfriend can all be explained by our opposite DISC profiles. As can the conflict between Jim and Dwight from The Office.

What Is This DISC Thing Anyway?

Maybe some background is important. I use the DISC assessment in my coaching practice to help people identify their innate work behaviors and align them with career opportunities. DISC is a behavioral assessment that businesses and other organizations use to determine employees’ and managers’ leadership strengths and weaknesses. It is a powerful tool that can explain the cause of conflicts, such as that between Jim and Dwight, why people are unhappy in their current careers, and so much more. Let me elaborate.

There are 15 different DISC style behavioral patterns, such as Influencer, Fact-Finder, Coach , and Results-Driven to name a few.

Each of the profiles are evaluated as having expressing or not expressing characteristics such as dominance (D), influence (I), steadiness (S), and conscientiousness (C).

As you can see in the chart below, people high in each characteristic are likely to be successful and enjoy the jobs that align with their styles. It is not a certainty, but there is definitely a high correlation.

What About a DISC Profile Generates Conflict?

Some style characteristics can irk people with other styles. For instance, someone who is a high C will likely seek the precise details and may irritate someone with a high D who seeks to get things done.

The Office Example

Jim is likely a High I (Networker), while Dwight is likely a High SC (Planner)

Dwight values logic and seeing results. He uses organization to get the job done efficiently; the “Schrute Rules” which guide his decisions are a great example. It is also and example of how he gravitates towards rules, structure, organization, and tradition. Even when it would benefit him to break the rules or think outside of the box, he typically still chooses to stay within bounds.

Jim is the master of satire and sarcasm, and he loves to challenge authority figures in an effortless way that often leaves them speechless. Jim maintains focus on his relationships and uses his charm to accomplish his goals. Breaking rules would not bother Jim at all.

Result: The High I means the Jim is open (or not guarded) and direct and the High C is neither direct nor open. The directness of Jim will irritate Dwight and the structure and organization of Dwight will likely irritate Jim.

My Personal Example

My Style: In my case, and a surprise to no one who knows me, I am a DI (Results Driven). That means I come to the table with decisiveness, a sense of urgency, and people orientation. I think and act quickly when solving problems. I drive toward progress and moving forward. Because of my sense of urgency, I may push some constraining rules to the side and become impatient with slower moving things or slower thinking people.

His Style: My boyfriend, however, is a High C (Fact Finder). That means he brings a keen sense of quality control and detail orientation to projects. Like a detective, he works at the intersection of facts, logic, and intuition. He does his homework and comes prepared with background knowledge and information and appreciates it when others do the same. Data, facts, and logic drive his decision-making.

Result: It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see the conflict between these two profiles. I am driving towards results like booking a flight or deciding which appliance to buy and he is demanding a higher sense of conscientiousness before making a decision. I use intuition and emotion with some degree of logic and data, which means I do some research, but stop when I feel like the results have diminishing returns. In contract, he uses logic and data, with some degree of intuition and very little emotion. That means he will keep on researching until he has determined that this is absolutely the best option available. That triggers my impatience that aligns with my High D. And if I get impatient, I irritate him.

Now this isn’t a death sentence for our relationship. We recognize this discrepancy and having this language to explain the conflict helps avoid future conflicts. I hope this will not work for Jim and Dwight as the humor generated from their conflict is gold.

In Summary

If you are seeing conflicts within your team, among colleagues or co-workers and / or are unhappy in your job, DISC is a great tool to help you understand yourself and others better and improve your life and relationships. Schedule a coaching discovery call to discuss how a DISC assessment and a debrief can help you take a positive step towards improving your situation.