The Johari Window model is a simple and useful tool for illustrating and improving self-

awareness, and mutual understanding between individuals within a group. The Johari
Window model can also be used to assess and improve a group's relationship with other
groups. The Johari Window model was devised by American psychologists Joseph Luft
and Harry Ingham in 1955, while researching group dynamics at the University of
California Los Angeles. The model was first published in the Proceedings of the Western
Training Laboratory in Group Development by UCLA Extension Office in 1955, and was
later expanded by Joseph Luft. Today the Johari Window model is especially relevant
due to modern emphasis on, and influence of, 'soft' skills, behaviour, empathy,
cooperation, inter-group development and interpersonal development.

The Johari Window concept is particularly helpful to understanding employee/employer

johari quadrant 1 - 'open self/area' or 'free area' or 'public area', or 'arena'

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, or 'the arena',
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'. Also, other
group members can help a team member expand their open area by offering feedback,
sensitively of course. 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. Also, group members
can help a person expand their open area into the hidden area by asking the person about
him/herself. Managers and team leaders can play an important role in facilitating
feedback and disclosure among group members, and in directly giving feedback to
individuals about their own blind areas. Leaders 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. 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. This blind area could also be referred to as
ignorance about oneself, or issues in which one is deluded. A blind area could also
include issues that others are deliberately withholding from a person. We all know how
difficult it is to work well when kept in the dark. No-one works well when subject to
'mushroom management'. People who are 'thick-skinned' tend to have a large 'blind area'.

Group members and managers can take some responsibility for helping an individual to
reduce their blind area - in turn increasing the open area - by giving sensitive feedback
and encouraging disclosure. Managers should promote a climate of non-judgemental
feedback, and group response to individual disclosure, which reduces fear and therefore
encourages both processes to happen. The extent to which an individual seeks feedback,
and the issues on which feedback is sought, must always be at the individual's own
discretion. Some people are more resilient than others - care needs to be taken to avoid
causing emotional upset. The process of soliciting serious and deep feedback relates to
the process of 'self-actualization' described in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs development
and motivation model.
johari quadrant 3 - 'hidden self' or 'hidden area' or 'avoided self/area' or 'facade'

Johari region 3 is what is known to ourselves but kept hidden from, and therefore
unknown, to others. This hidden or avoided self represents information, feelings, etc,
anything that a person knows about him/self, but which is not revealed or is kept hidden
from others. The hidden area could also include sensitivities, fears, hidden agendas,
manipulative intentions, secrets - anything that a person knows but does not reveal, for
whatever reason. 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. By telling others how we feel and
other information about ourselves we reduce the hidden area, and increase the open area,
which enables better understanding, cooperation, trust, team-working effectiveness and
productivity. Reducing hidden areas also reduces the potential for confusion,
misunderstanding, poor communication, etc, which all distract from and undermine team
effectiveness.

Organizational culture and working atmosphere have a major influence on group

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. Some people are more keen and able than others to disclose. People should
disclose at a pace and depth that they find personally comfortable. As with feedback,
some people are more resilient than others - care needs to be taken to avoid causing
emotional upset. Also as with soliciting feedback, the process of serious disclosure relates
to the process of 'self-actualization' described in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
development and motivation model.

johari 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. These
unknown issues take a variety of forms: they can be feelings, behaviours, attitudes,
capabilities, aptitudes, which can be quite close to the surface, and which can be positive
and useful, or they can be deeper aspects of a person's personality, influencing his/her
behaviour to various degrees. Large unknown areas would typically be expected in
younger people, and people who lack experience or self-belief.

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

The processes by which this information and knowledge can be uncovered are various,
and can be prompted through self-discovery or observation by others, or in certain
situations through collective or mutual discovery, of the sort of discovery experienced on
outward bound courses or other deep or intensive group work. Counselling can also
uncover unknown issues, but this would then be known to the person and by one other,
rather than by a group.

Whether unknown 'discovered' knowledge moves into the hidden, blind or open area
depends on who discovers it and what they do with the knowledge, notably whether it is
then given as feedback, or disclosed. As with the processes of soliciting feedback and
disclosure, striving to discover information and feelings in the unknown is relates to the
process of 'self-actualization' described in Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs development and
motivation model.

Again as with disclosure and soliciting feedback, the process of self discovery is a
sensitive one. The extent and depth to which an individual is able to seek out discover
their unknown feelings must always be at the individual's own discretion. Some people
are more keen and able than others to do this.

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. Providing people with the opportunity to try
new things, with no great pressure to succeed, is often a useful way to discover unknown
abilities, and thereby reduce the unknown area.