Extended DISC: Helping Clients with Better Hiring Decisions and Developing Talent

Born in Helsinki, Finland, Markku Kauppinen is an experienced business leader, and visionary who has been at the helm of Extended DISC North America, Inc. since 1997, serving as its esteemed President and CEO. With a deep understanding of human behavior and a passion for empowering individuals and organizations, Markku has spearheaded a transformative journey in the area of personal and professional development.

Under Markku’s exceptional leadership Extended DISC has soared to great heights, establishing itself as one of the most well-known assessment companies globally. With Markku’s strategic vision and unwavering commitment to excellence, Extended DISC has garnered widespread acclaim and recognition from prestigious industry awards. These accolades serve as a testament to the company’s unwavering dedication to providing high-quality assessments and valuable insights that enable individuals, teams, and organizations to unlock their full potential.

Today, Extended DISC has expanded its reach and global presence, establishing offices in more than 50 countries. With an extensive network of over 250 team members, the company has also cultivated a diverse and talented workforce that shares Markku’s passion for empowering individuals and organizations.

Establishing Extended DISC

With a background and education rooted in corporate finance, Markku developed a keen ability to make sound financial decisions based on accurate information. However, as he ventured into recruitment, he witnessed a significant gap in the availability of reliable and precise information for decision-making processes. It became evident that relying solely on intuition and experience often leads to suboptimal choices with far-reaching negative consequences.

Driven by this realization, Markku and his team embarked on a mission to revolutionize the way decisions were made about employees and job candidates. They understood the critical importance of accurate information in ensuring the success and well being of individuals and organizations. Drawing upon his expertise in data-driven decision-making, Markku and his team sought to introduce a systematic approach that would provide a comprehensive understanding of individuals’ behavioral traits and competencies.

This vision eventually laid the foundation for Extended DISC, an assessment and evaluation company operating in the learning and development market, that offers research and information resources for corporate learning leaders. Under Markku’s leadership, Extended DISC quickly became a trailblazer in the field of assessments, offering reliable and data-backed solutions for employee evaluation and development.

Helping Clients with their Assessment Needs

At the core of Extended DISC’s offerings lies the ® comprehensive and integrated FinxS assessment platform, designed to cater to the diverse assessment needs of clients. With a commitment to providing a unified solution, the platform serves as a one-stop destination for all candidate, employee, team, and organizational assessments.

The FinxS assessment platform encompasses a wide array of assessments and tools, rooted in the DISC-theory framework pioneered by Extended DISC. With an extensive range of offerings, clients gain access to an ® assortment of resources, including Extended DISC ® assessments, FinxS assessments, multi-rater assessments, cognitive ability tests, competence assessments, team and organizational assessments, as well as surveys.

By incorporating the DISC-theory foundation, the platform provides clients with a deep understanding of behavioral traits, competencies, and cognitive abilities. These valuable insights equip decision-makers with the tools they need to make informed choices about individuals, teams, and the organization as a whole.

Minimizing Costly Hiring Mistakes

Extended DISC recognizes the challenges faced by its clients when it comes to hiring and managing employees effectively. Many of their clients have encountered costly hiring mistakes, while others have struggled with underperforming existing employees. In both cases, a common factor emerged: the absence of accurate and reliable information about candidates and employees. While businesses typically have access to valuable information in other aspects of their operations, they often lack the necessary insights into the behavioral traits, competencies, and true capabilities of their candidates and employees. They become aware that candidates may tailor their responses to align with what employers want to hear during the hiring process, making it challenging to discern their genuine potential.

Similarly, clients recognize the importance of understanding the strengths and weaknesses of their employees, akin to how coaches assess their players. This knowledge is crucial for effective performance management, talent development, and the creation of high-performing teams.

Extended DISC addresses these needs by providing clients with the accurate and insightful information they require. By leveraging data-driven assessments and behavioral analysis, the company equips clients with objective insights into the behavioral styles, competencies, and potential of candidates and employees.

Through this comprehensive approach, clients are no longer reliant on gut feelings or past experiences to make critical decisions. They understand the high costs and frustrations associated with such methods and are eager to avoid repeating those mistakes. By utilizing the accurate information provided by Extended DISC, clients can make well-informed decisions, leading to better hiring outcomes, improved employee performance, and enhance organizational success.

Tackling the Gender Pay Gap

Markku Kauppinen, as the President and CEO of Extended DISC, maintains a strong belief that any form of pay gap, whether based on gender, race, national origin, sexual identity, or any other protected characteristic, is wholly unacceptable. He firmly advocates for compensation to be determined solely on the basis of merit and performance, emphasizing a fair and unbiased approach.

Recognizing the detrimental effects of pay gaps, Markku acknowledges that they not only perpetuate inequality but also hinder the establishment of a successful and inclusive organizational culture. By valuing and rewarding employees based on their individual performance, irrespective of their gender or any other characteristic, businesses can foster an environment that promotes fairness, equality, and diversity.

In his personal life, Markku is proud to have intelligent, talented, and hard-working daughters. He strongly believes that everyone, including his daughters, should be compensated based on their contributions, with gender or any other irrelevant factors playing no role in the determination of their compensation.

The Bright Future

Extended DISC is dedicated to upholding its mission of delivering long-term, incremental value to clients through the provision of outstanding products, exceptional support, and top-notch service. The company remains steadfast in its commitment to serving clients with excellence and ensuring their continued success.

As a leading innovator in the industry, Extended DISC sets itself apart by consistently pushing the boundaries of what is possible. The company’s commitment to innovation is unwavering, as it continuously seeks new ways to meet the evolving needs of clients and stay ahead of the curve in a rapidly changing business landscape.

Clients can expect Extended DISC to remain at the forefront of industry advancements, introducing groundbreaking solutions and pioneering approaches that drive organizational growth and individual development. With a focus on delivering exceptional value and staying ahead of the competition, Extended DISC is dedicated to maintaining its position as a trusted partner and a leader in the field.

The company’s relentless pursuit of innovation, combined with its unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction, ensures that clients can confidently rely on Extended DISC to provide them with the best-in-class products, unparalleled support, and exceptional service for years to come.