Johari Window

A model for self-awareness,

personal development, group
development and understanding
relationship

Adapted from www.businessballs.com, © Copyright alan chapman

2003
 The Johari Window model
 A simple and useful tool for
understanding and training self-
awareness, personal development,
improving communications,
interpersonal relationships, group
dynamics, team development and inter-
group relationships
 Developed by American psychologists
Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in the
1950's, calling it 'Johari' after combining
their first names, Joe and Harry
 Especially relevant due to emphasis on,
and influence of, 'soft' skills, behaviour,
empathy, cooperation, inter-group
development and interpersonal
development
 The model

 Also referred to as a 'disclosure/feedback

model of self awareness', and an
'information processing tool'
 Represents information - feelings,
experience, views, attitudes, skills,
intentions, motivation, etc - within or about a
person - in relation to their team, from four
perspectives
 Can also be used to represent the same
information for a team in relation to
other teams
 Terminology
 Refers to 'self' and 'others‘

'Others' - other people in the team

‘Self' - oneself, i.e., the person

subject to the Johari Window
analysis
 The four Johari Window
perspectives

 Called 'regions' or 'areas' or 'quadrants'.

 Each contains and represents the
information - feelings, motivation, etc - 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 team
 The four regions, areas, quadrants, or
perspectives are as follows, showing the
quadrant numbers and commonly used
names
 Johari window four regions

1. Open area, open self, free area, free self, or 'the

arena‘: what is known by the person about
him/herself and is also known by others -
2. Blind area, blind self, or 'blindspot‘: what is
unknown by the person about him/herself but
which others know
3. Hidden area, hidden self, avoided area,
avoided self or 'façade’: what the person knows
about him/herself that others do not know
4. Unknown area or unknown self: what is
unknown by the person about him/herself and is
also unknown by others
The Johari Window

 Based on a four-square grid

 Like a window with four 'panes
Standard representation

Self
Known Unknown
Known 1 2
Open/Free Blind
Area Area
Others
Unknown 3 4
Hidden Unknown
Area Area
The Johari Window 'panes'

 Show each quadrant the same size

 Can be changed in size to reflect the
relevant proportions of each type of
'knowledge' of/about a particular person in a
given team situation
 In new teams the open free space for any
team member is small because shared
awareness is relatively small
 As the team member becomes better
established and known, so the size of the
team member's open free area quadrant
increases
Johari quadrant 1

 ‘Open self/area‘, 'free area‘, 'public area', 'arena‘

 Also known as the 'area of free activity‘
 Information about the person - behaviour, attitude, feelings,
emotion, knowledge, experience, skills, views, etc -
known by the person ('the self') and known by the team
('others').
 The aim in any team is 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 team is
at its most productive too
 The open free area, or 'the arena‘ - the space where good
communications and cooperation occur, free from
distractions, mistrust, confusion, conflict and
misunderstanding
Team members

 Established members tend to have larger open areas than new

team members
 New members start with relatively small open areas because
relatively little knowledge about the new team member is
shared
 Other members can help a team member expand their open
area by offering feedback
 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
team and team members
 Can help a person expand their open area into the hidden area
by asking the person about him/herself
 Increasing open area through
feedback solicitation

 Increasing the open area , by

reduction of the blind area, by
1 3 asking for and then receiving
feedback
Open/Free Blind
 Can also be developed through
Area the process of disclosure,
Area which reduces the hidden area
 The unknown area can be
2 4 reduced in different ways: by
others' observation (which
increases the blind area); by
Hidden Unknown self-discovery (which increases
Area Area the hidden area), or by mutual
enlightenment - via group
experiences and discussion -
which increases the open area
as the unknown area reduces
Managers and Leaders

 Play an important role in facilitating feedback and

disclosure among group members, and in directly
giving feedback to individuals about their own blind
areas
 Also have a big responsibility to promote a culture
and expectation for open, honest, positive, helpful,
constructive, sensitive communications, and the
sharing of knowledge throughout their organization
 Encouraging the positive development of the 'open
area' or 'open self' for everyone is a fundamental
aspect of effective leadership
Johari quadrant 2
 ‘Blind self' or 'blind area' or 'blindspot‘: what is known
about a person by others in the group, but is unknown by the
person him/herself
 Could also be referred to as ignorance about oneself, or issues
in which one is deluded
 Not an effective or productive space for individuals or groups
 Also include issues that others are deliberately withholding
from a person
 The aim is to reduce this area by seeking or soliciting feedback
from others and thereby to increase the open area, i.e., to
increase self-awareness
 Team members and managers take responsibility for reducing
the blind area - in turn increasing the open area - by giving
sensitive feedback and encouraging disclosure
 Managers promote a climate of non-judgemental feedback, and
group response to individual disclosure, and reduce fear
Team

 Which understands itself – i.e., each member having a strong

mutual understanding with the team - is far more effective than
a team which does not understand each other – i.e., whose
members have large hidden, blind, and/or unknown areas
 Members - and leaders - should strive to increase their open
free areas, and to reduce their blind, hidden and unknown
areas
 Seeking feedback about the blind area will reduce the blind
area, and will increase the open free area
 Discovery through sensitive communications, active listening
and experience, will reduce the unknown area, transferring in
part to the blind, hidden areas, depending on who knows
what, or better still if known by the person and others, to the
open free area
 Johari quadrant 3

 ‘Hidden self' or 'hidden area' or 'avoided self/area' or 'facade'

 What is known to ourselves but kept hidden from, and therefore
unknown, to others
 Represents information, feelings, etc, anything that a person
knows about him/self, but which is not revealed or is kept hidden
from others
 Also include sensitivities, fears, hidden agendas, manipulative
intentions, secrets - anything that a person knows but does not
reveal
 Relevant hidden information and feelings, etc, should be moved
into the open area through the process of 'self-disclosure' and
'exposure process'
 Organizational culture and working atmosphere have a major
influence on team members' preparedness to disclose their
hidden selves
 The extent to which an individual discloses personal feelings and
information, and the issues which are disclosed, and to whom,
must always be at the individual's own discretion
 Johari quadrant 4
 ‘Unknown self‘, 'area of unknown activity‘, 'unknown area'
 Information, feelings, latent abilities, aptitudes, experiences etc, that are
unknown to the person him/herself and unknown to others in the group
 Can be prompted through self-discovery or observation by others, or through
collective or mutual discovery
 Counselling can also uncover unknown issues
 Again as with disclosure and soliciting feedback, the process of self discovery
is a sensitive one
 Uncovering 'hidden talents' - that is unknown aptitudes and skills, not to be
confused with developing the Johari 'hidden area' - is another aspect of
developing the unknown area, and is not so sensitive as unknown feelings
 Managers and leaders can create an environment that encourages self-
discovery, and to promote the processes of self discovery, constructive
observation and feedback among team members
 The unknown area could also include repressed or subconscious feelings
rooted in formative events and traumatic past experiences, which can stay
unknown for a lifetime
 Johari window model for new team member or
member within a new team

2  The open free is small because

1 others know little about the
Blind Area
Open/Free new person
Area  Similarly the blind area is small
4 because others know little
about the new person
Unknown  The hidden or avoided issues
Area and feelings are a relatively
3 large area
 The unknown area is the
Hidden largest, which might be
Area because the person is lacking in
self-knowledge or belief
 Johari window model for established team
member

2  The open free region is

1
Open/Free
Blind large because others
Area
Area know a lot about the
person that the person
also knows
4
 Through disclosure and
Unknown receiving feedback the
Area open area has expanded
and at the same time
3 reduced the sizes of the
hidden, blind and
Hidden
Area
unknown areas
The complete Johari Window Model

Known Unknown
ask
by by self
Known by self
1 Feedback
solicitation 2
others Open/Free Blind
tell Area Area
Self-discovery/exposure Shared Others’
discovery observations

Hidden Unknown
Unknown Area Self Area
by 3 discovery
4
others
 Comparing Johari Window with Tuckman’s
Forming, Storming Norming Performing team
development model

 As the team develops maturity and ability,

relationships establish, and the leader changes
leadership style - beginning with a directing style,
moving through coaching, then participating,
finishing delegating and almost detached
 The progression is:
 forming
 storming
 norming
 performing
 Forming - Stage 1

 High dependence on leader for guidance and

direction
 Little agreement on team aims other than received
from leader
 Individual roles and responsibilities are unclear
 Leader answer lots of questions about the team's
purpose, objectives and external relationships
 Processes are often ignored
 Members test tolerance of system and leader
 Leader directs
 Storming - Stage 2

 Decisions don't come easily within group

 Team members vie for position as they attempt to establish
themselves in relation to other team members and the leader, who
might receive challenges from team members
 Clarity of purpose increases but plenty of uncertainties persist
 Cliques and factions form and there may be power struggles
 The team needs to be focused on its goals to avoid becoming
distracted by relationships and emotional issues
 Compromises may be required to enable progress
 Leader coaches
 Norming - Stage 3

 Agreement and consensus is largely formed among team, who

respond well to facilitation by leader
 Roles and responsibilities are clear and accepted
 Big decisions are made by group agreement
 Smaller decisions may be delegated to individuals or small teams
within group
 Commitment and unity is strong
 The team may engage in fun and social activities
 The team discusses and develops its processes and working
style
 General respect for the leader and some of leadership is more
shared by the team
 Leader facilitates and enables
 Performing - stage 4

 More strategically aware; knows clearly why it is doing what it is

doing
 Has a shared vision and able to stand on its own feet with no
interference or participation from the leader
 Has a high degree of autonomy
 Disagreements occur but now they are resolved within the team
positively and necessary changes to processes and structure are
made by the team
 Able to work towards achieving the goal, and also to attend to
relationship, style and process issues along the way
 Members look after each other
 Requires delegated tasks and projects from the leader
 Does not need to be instructed or assisted
 Might ask for assistance from the leader with personal and
interpersonal development
 Leader delegates and oversees
Forming, storming, norming performing model

norming storming

performing forming
 Johari Window also relate to Emotional
Intelligence (EQ)

 A new way to understand and assess people's behaviours,

management styles, attitudes, interpersonal skills, and potential
 An important consideration in human resources planning, job
profiling, recruitment interviewing and selection, management
development, customer relations and customer service, and more
 Argues that IQ, or conventional intelligence, is too narrow; that there
are wider areas of emotional intelligence that dictate and enable how
successful we are
 Embraces two aspects of intelligence:
1. Understanding yourself, your goals, intentions, responses, and
behaviour
2. Understanding others, and their feelings
 Four domains of EQ

1 2  By developing EQ, we
can be more productive
Self Awareness Social
Awareness
and successful at what
we do, and help others
to be more productive
3 4 and successful
Self- Relationship
 EQ can reduce stress for
management Management individuals and
organizations, by
decreasing conflict,
improving relationships
and understanding, and
increasing stability,
continuity and harmony