The Johari window was created by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham in 1955 as a way to better understand yourself and the communication between you and others. It is a model for soliciting and giving feedback. It is a communication model that has four quadrants and two dimensions (Myself and Others)
The model is a 2x 2 grid which represents things that a person knows about themselves on one axis and things that others know about them on the other axis. By plotting the levels of self-knowledge and the knowledge held by others the person can develop a greater understanding of their personality and how they are perceived by others.
Open Self
Information about you that both you and others know.
Blind Self
Information about you that you don’t know but others do know
Hidden Self
Information about you that you know but others don’t know
Unknown Self
Information about you that neither you nor others know
In their book, The Little Book of Big Management Theories: … and how to use them, James McGrath and Bob Bates gives the following advice on how to use the Johari Window:
- Use this model to analyze how good you are at giving and receiving feedback. Start by constructing your own window frame. Do this by accessing Luft and Ingram’s Characteristics Test or any one of a number of online alternatives.
- Examine the good, the bad, and the ugly. The larger the open pane is, the higher the level of communication, understanding, and trust between you and your team members.
- If the open pane is not the largest, then take action to increase the size of it by discussing your thoughts more openly with others and soliciting their feedback.
- You also increase the size of the open pane by reducing the size of the others. Remember you cannot consciously change what you don’t know, so use self-discovery and shared discovery through giving and receiving feedback as a means of increasing openness, understanding, and trust.
Questions to ask
- What’s preventing me from sharing my thoughts with other members of my team?
- How open are team members when talking to me about themselves?
The Johari Window is a model of our self-disclosure and receptivity to feedback in our relationship with others. It is a method of plotting or charting disclosive behaviors in a relationship. The Window is a great tool to build trust in a team, helps create better team cohesion and better self-awareness.
All the Best in your quest to get better. Don’t Settle: Live with Passion.
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