Empirical evidence of the DISC in future leaders from Spain and Latin America: a contribution from William Moulton Marston to the managerial role

When analyzing the managerial function characteristic of leaders using the DISC test – derived from the pioneering work of W. M. Marston – four profiles based on the In.troversion-Extroversion and Rational-Emotional axes are described: Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Compliance. Given it is a test as widely used as its empirical contributions are scarce, a non-experimental investigation of the associative and cross-sectional type of the predominant structure of the DISC profiles (primary and support) was carried out, taking into account differences according to sex and country. The intentional sample studied was made up of 198 attendees of a university training course for managerial staff, line executives and senior management (142 men and 56 women, aged between 25 and 50 years: M = 36.98; SD = 7.14) who completed the DISC variant known as APP Thomas. The results obtained, mostly consistent with previous findings in other contexts related to leadership, highlight the Influential style as predominant, which in 48.1% of cases is based on the Dominant profile (χ2 = 141.98; p <, 000); furthermore, a Compliant profile is observed in women that, in 87.5% of cases, is supported by the Stable profile (χ2 = 72.42; p <.000). These data show the validity and usefulness of the DISC test in analyzing leadership styles, revealing the basic structure of the Influential and Dominant styles (when considering the supporting factors) in the managerial function, inherent to organizational leadership.