Johari Window

A model for self-awareness,

personal development, group
development and understanding
relationship
 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  Can also be developed through
Blind the process of disclosure,
Area Area which reduces the hidden area
 The unknown area can be
reduced in different ways: by
2 4 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
Blind Area
others know little about the new
Open/Free person
Area  Similarly the blind area is small
because others know little
4 about the new person
3  The hidden or avoided issues
Unknown and feelings are a relatively
Area large area
Hidden
 The unknown area is the
Area largest, which might be
because the person is lacking in
self-knowledge or belief
 Johari window model for established team
member

2  The open free region is

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

Known Unknown
ask
by self by self
Known by 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 others 3 discovery
4
 Can we improve self
awareness?

• Self-disclosure is the process by which

people expand the Open Area vertically.
• Feedback is the process by which
people expand this area horizontally.
 Self-Disclosure

• The Johari Window

– Luft advocates changing the shape of the
window so that quadrant 1 enlarges while all
the others become smaller.
Johari Window Model
 Why are we scared of
self evaluation?

• Fear
• Doubt
• Inadequacy
• Insecurity

– But how many people do you know who are

perfect?
 Self-Disclosure

• When Is Self-Disclosure Appropriate?

– Luft (1969) proposes the following guidelines:
1. When it is a function of the ongoing relationship.
2. When it occurs reciprocally.
3. When it is timed to fit what is happening.
4. When it concerns what is going on within and
between persons in the present.
5. When it moves by relatively small increments.
 Self-Disclosure

• When Is Self-Disclosure Appropriate?

– Luft (1969) . . . (continued)
6. When it is confirmable by the other person.
7. When account is taken of the effect disclosure
has on the other person(s).
8. When it creates a reasonable risk.
9. When it is speeded up in a crisis.
10. When the context is mutually shared.
 Reasons for Giving &
Receiving Feedback

• Allows personal growth

• Enables the provider to learn about self
• Enables the receiver to gain insight
• Creates an open environment for effective
operational and interpersonal
communication.
• Aids in preparation of future; not dwelling
on the past
 Guidelines for Giving
feedback

• Is the feedback being given specific rather than general?

• Is the feedback being given focused on behavior rather than on a person?
• Does the feedback take into account the needs of the receiver of the
feedback?
• Is the feedback directed toward the behavior which the receiver can do
something about?
• Is the feedback solicited rather than imposed?
• Is the feedback sharing of information rather than giving advice?
• Is the feedback well timed?
• Does the feedback involve the amount of information the receiver can use
rather than the amount we would like to give?
• Does feedback reflect upon the problems/issues at hand?
• Is the feedback checked to ensure clear communication?
• Is the feedback evaluative rather than the judgment?
 Guidelines for
Receiving feedback
• Establish a receptive atmosphere
• State why you want feedback
• Check what you have heard through
parroting, paraphrasing or asking for
clarification
• Maintain an objective attitude about
the feedback even if its about you
• Share your reactions to the
feedback if practical
 Key Points:

• In most cases, the aim in groups should be to

develop the Open Area for every person.
• Working in this area with others usually allows for
enhanced individual and team effectiveness and
productivity. The Open Area is the ‘space’ where good
communications and cooperation occur, free from
confusion, conflict and misunderstanding.
• Self-disclosure is the process by which people expand
the Open Area vertically. Feedback is the process by
which people expand this area horizontally.
• By encouraging healthy self-disclosure and sensitive
feedback, you can build a stronger and more effective
team.
 Perceptions - Ask Yourself!

• How you want others to perceive you today.

• How you believe you are actually perceived
today by others.
• How you'd like to be perceived by others in
the future.
• How you actually truly want to be - without
influence of what other significant people in
your life feel and think about you.