Why Healthy Conflict Starts With Understanding DISC
In this episode of Ask The Professor, Ari Justice and Professor Ben Hippeli dive into one of the most misunderstood—and most necessary—elements of high-performing teams: conflict.
Through the lens of the DISC assessment, they break down how different communication styles experience, interpret, and respond to conflict at work. From task-focused D and C styles to people-focused I and S styles, the conversation highlights why conflict often feels personal when it’s actually behavioral.
The episode blends leadership insight, real-world examples, and live audience questions to help leaders build trust, reduce friction, and create a culture where healthy conflict drives better decisions and stronger performance.
What is DISC?
DISC is a powerful framework that breaks down human behavior into four primary styles — Dominance, Influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. By understanding these styles, leaders can recognize their own tendencies while adapting their approach to better connect with their team.
Here’s what you’ll walk away with from this episode:
- Healthy conflict is essential for team performance:
Avoiding conflict leads to apathy and poor decision-making, while productive conflict increases engagement, clarity, and results. - DISC explains why conflict feels personal—but usually isn’t:
Different styles approach conflict based on their wiring, not bad intentions, which helps reduce misinterpretation and defensiveness. - Each DISC style needs a different approach in conflict:
D styles value brevity and results, C styles need accuracy and time to process, I styles need involvement, and S styles need psychological safety. - Feedback lands differently depending on style:
Especially with C styles, framing feedback carefully, labeling tension, allowing pauses, and following up are critical for trust and clarity. - Trust is the foundation of productive conflict:
Psychological safety enables teams to surface ideas, challenge assumptions, and avoid blind spots—without damaging relationships.
- Healthy conflict is essential for team performance:
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