I have just attended a training program called People Leadership Program and one of the topics caught my attention was this theory called The Johari Window. I thought it was created by a Malay fella named Johari but then I realized how ignorant I was.

Do you know what Johari Window is then?

Ok, this is the window which comprises 4 quadrants/regions/areas.  Each of these regions contains and represents the information – feelings, motivation, etc – known about the person, in terms of whether the information is known or unknown by the person, and whether the information is known or unknown by others in the group.

For example in the “OPEN” region, it means that you know something about yourself, so do others know about this. This is called open secret. For “BLIND” region, it means other people might know smtg about you (e.g.arrogant) but then you are not aware of it, this we called BLIND spot for yourself. Same theory go for another 2 regions which are named “HIDDEN” and “UNKNOWN”.

That’s about it. Pretty simple window. BUT then don’t belittle this model as it was/is very popular and became a widely used model for understanding and training self-awareness, personal development, improving communications, interpersonal relationships, group dynamics, team development and inter-group relationships.

How? Continue reading & thou shall understand more………..

Johari region 1 is also known as the ‘area of free activity’. This is the information about the person – behaviour, attitude, feelings, emotion, knowledge, experience, skills, views, etc – known by the person (‘the self’) and known by the group (‘others’).

The aim in any group should always be to develop the ‘open area’ for every person, because when we work in this area with others we are at our most effective and productive, and the group is at its most productive too. The open free area can be seen as the space where good communications and cooperation occur, free from distractions, mistrust, confusion, conflict and misunderstanding.

Established team members logically tend to have larger open areas than new team members. New team members start with relatively small open areas because relatively little knowledge about the new team member is shared. The size of the open area can be expanded horizontally into the blind space, by seeking and actively listening to feedback from other group members. This process is known as ‘feedback solicitation’.

The size of the open area can also be expanded vertically downwards into the hidden or avoided space by the person’s disclosure of information, feelings, etc about him/herself to the group and group members.

Top performing groups, departments, companies and organizations always tend to have a culture of open positive communication, so encouraging the positive development of the ‘open area’ or ‘open self’ for everyone is a simple yet fundamental aspect of effective leadership.

Johari quadrant 2 – ‘blind self’ or ‘blind area’ or ‘blindspot’

Johari region 2 is what is known about a person by others in the group, but is unknown by the person him/herself. By seeking or soliciting feedback from others, the aim should be to reduce this area and thereby to increase the open area (see the Johari Window diagram below), ie, to increase self-awareness.

This blind area is not an effective or productive space for individuals or groups, also known as ignorance about oneself. No-one works well when subject to ‘mushroom management’. People who are ‘thick-skinned’ tend to have a large ‘blind area’.

Johari quadrant 3 – ‘hidden self’ or ‘hidden area’ or ‘avoided self/area’ or ‘facade’

This hidden self represents information, feelings, etc, anything that a person knows about himself, but which is not revealed or is kept hidden from others.  It’s natural for very personal and private information and feelings to remain hidden, indeed, certain information, feelings and experiences have no bearing on work, and so can and should remain hidden. However, typically, a lot of hidden information is not very personal, it is work- or performance-related, and so is better positioned in the open area.

Relevant hidden information and feelings, etc, should be moved into the open area through the process of ‘disclosure’. The aim should be to disclose and expose relevant information and feelings – hence the Johari Window terminology ‘self-disclosure’ and ‘exposure process’, thereby increasing the open area. Reducing hidden areas also reduces the potential for confusion, misunderstanding, poor communication, etc, which all distract from and undermine team effectiveness.

Jjohari quadrant 4 – ‘unknown self’ or ‘area of unknown activity’ or ‘unknown area’

Johari region 4 contains information, feelings, latent abilities, aptitudes, experiences etc, that are unknown to the person him/herself and unknown to others in the group.

Examples of unknown factors are as follows, and the first example is particularly relevant and common, especially in typical organizations and teams:

* an ability that is under-estimated or un-tried through lack of opportunity, encouragement, confidence or training

* a natural ability or aptitude that a person doesn’t realise they possess

* a fear or aversion that a person does not know they have

* an unknown illness

* repressed or subconscious feelings

* conditioned behaviour or attitudes from childhood

Managers and leaders can help by creating an environment that encourages self-discovery, and to promote the processes of self discovery, constructive observation and feedback among team members. It is a widely accepted industrial fact that the majority of staff in any organization are at any time working well within their potential. Creating a culture, climate and expectation for self-discovery helps people to fulfil more of their potential and thereby to achieve more, and to contribute more to organizational performance.

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That’s the power of Johari Window!!! To improve the understanding and training self-awareness, personal development, improving communications, interpersonal relationships, group dynamics, team development and inter-group relationships.

Yeah, this model was devised by 2 American psychologists called Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in 1955. Johari was a combination of their first names, Joe and Harry.