The Johari Window is a communication model that is used to
improve understanding between individuals. The word "Johari" is taken
from the names of Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham, who developed the model in
1955.
There are two key ideas behind the tool:
- That
you can build trust with others by disclosing information about yourself.
- That,
with the help of feedback from others, you can learn about yourself and
come to terms with personal issues.
By explaining the idea of the Johari Window, you can help
team members to understand the value of self-disclosure, and you can encourage
them to give, and accept, constructive feedback.
Done sensitively, this can help people build better, more
trusting relationships with one another, solve issues, and work more
effectively as a team.
Explaining the Johari Window
The Johari Window is shown as a four-quadrant grid, which
you can see in the diagram below.
From "Of Human Interaction," by Joseph Luft. ©
1969. Reproduced with permission from McGraw-Hill Education.
The four quadrants are:
The four quadrants are:
1. Open Area (Quadrant 1)
This quadrant represents the things that you know about
yourself, and the things that others know about you. This includes your
behavior, knowledge, skills, attitudes, and "public" history.
2. Blind Area (Quadrant 2)
This quadrant represents things about you that you aren't
aware of, but that are known by others.
This can include simple information that you do not know, or
it can involve deep issues (for example, feelings of inadequacy, incompetence,
unworthiness, or rejection), which are often difficult for individuals to face
directly, and yet can be seen by others.
3. Hidden Area (Quadrant 3)
This quadrant represents things that you know about
yourself, but that others don't know.
4. Unknown Area (Quadrant 4)
This last quadrant represents things that are unknown by
you, and are unknown by others.
The End Goal
The process of enlarging the Open Area quadrant is called
"self-disclosure," and it's a give-and-take process that takes place
between yourself and the people that you're interacting with.
As you share information, your Open Area expands vertically
and your Hidden Area gets smaller. As people on your team provide
feedback to you about what they know or see about you,
your Open Area expands horizontally, and your Blind Area gets smaller.
Done well, the process of give and take, sharing, and open
communication builds trust within the group.
At first glance, the Johari Window may look like a complex
tool, but it's actually very easy to understand with just a little effort. As
such, it provides a visual reference that people can use to look at their own
character, and it illustrates the importance of sharing, being open, and
accepting feedback from others.
People who have a large Open Area are usually very easy to
talk to, they communicate honestly and openly with others, and they get along
well with a group. People who have a very small Open Area are difficult to talk
to, they seem closed off and uncommunicative, and they often don't work well
with others, because they're not trusted.
Other people might have a large Blind Area, with many issues
that they haven't identified or dealt with yet. However, others can see these
issues clearly. These people might have low self-esteem, or they may even have
anger issues when working with others.
Using the Tool
The process of enlarging your Open Area involves
self-disclosure. Put simply, the more you (sensibly) open up and disclose your
thoughts, feelings, dreams, and goals, the more you're going to build trust with
your team.
Tip:
Try to avoid "over-sharing" in your
self-disclosure. Disclosing small, harmless items builds trust, however, avoid
disclosing personal information which could damage people's respect for you.
Another important aspect of enlarging your Open Area is
accepting feedback from others on your team. This feedback helps you learn
things about yourself that others can see, but that you can't. This is
important for personal growth.
Tip:
Be careful in the way you give feedback .
Some cultures have a very open and accepting approach to feedback, but others
don't.
You can cause incredible offense if you offer personal
feedback to someone who's not used to it, so be sensitive, and start gradually.
If someone is interested in learning more about you, they
can reciprocate by disclosing information in their hidden quadrant.
For example, imagine that you tell someone on your team that
you're interested in going to business school to get your MBA. She responds by
telling you that she enrolled just a few months ago, and then she tells you all
about the MBA program that she's involved with. You reciprocate by opening up
about your career goals, and you discuss how an MBA will help you achieve them.
As a person's level of confidence and self-esteem rises, it
becomes easier to invite others to comment on their blind spots. Obviously, active and empathic
listening skills are useful in this exercise.
listening skills are useful in this exercise.
The Johari Window in a Team Context
Keep in mind that established team members will have larger
open areas than new team members. New team members start with smaller open
areas, because they haven't yet had the opportunity to share much information
about themselves.
Feedback
The importance of feedback in this process can't be
overstated. It's only by receiving feedback from others that your Blind Area
will be reduced, and your Open Area will be expanded.
Group members should strive to help other team members to
expand their Open Area by offering constructive feedback. The size of the Open
Area can also be expanded vertically downwards into the Hidden Area, as people
disclose information and feelings to the group.
Also, group members can help a person expand their Open Area
into the Hidden Area by asking personal questions. Managers and team leaders
play a key role here, by teaching team members how to give constructive
feedback to individuals about their own Blind Areas.
Tip:
The Johari Window is often used with a list of 56 adjectives
such as "kind," "clever," or "idealistic." These
adjectives can be used with the group to describe the person that everyone is
focused on. You can see a list of adjectives to use here.
Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham developed the Johari Window in
1955. The tool is a useful visual representation of a person's character, and
is represented with a four-quadrant grid.
The goal of the Johari Window is to demonstrate the
importance of open communication, and to explain its effect on group trust. The
model also teaches you the importance of self-disclosure, and shows how group
feedback can help you grow, both personally and professionally.
Your Open Area is expanded vertically with self-disclosure,
and horizontally with feedback from others on your team. By encouraging healthy
self-disclosure and sensitive feedback, you can build a stronger and more
effective team.
Its your turn Entrepreneur! Discuss four main area identified in the Johari Window Model that can affect an Entrepreneur and the Entrepreneurial Venture positively or negatively.
Its your turn Entrepreneur! Discuss four main area identified in the Johari Window Model that can affect an Entrepreneur and the Entrepreneurial Venture positively or negatively.
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