How often are we receptive to feedback from our team members at work? Have there been instances when while watching something, you recall someone’s behavior because it was similar, and yet they have no clue that they tend to act in a certain way. When a co-worker tells you that you behave in a particular way, how likely are you to agree with them?
The Johari window is a communication model which helps improve interpersonal communication between individuals and within a team, as well as intrapersonal communication for introspection and self-awareness. This model was developed by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham based on two fundamental principles:
1. Individuals can build trust by disclosing information about themselves
2. Self awareness can be increased by seeking feedback from others
This concept is widely used for team building and in executive coaching in order to understand different relationships, increase self-awareness and bridge the gap between the known and unknown factors amidst teams/groups by working effectively as a unit together.
The model comprises four quadrants, elucidated below:
Every individual has been manifested by his or her own four quadrants, which represents personal information and details which could be known or unknown to themselves and others.
Quadrant 1:
Open: This is the panel which is known by self and others. For instance: you and others are well aware of the fact that you are fond of traveling.
Quadrant 2:
Blind: This is the area, which is unknown to self and known by others. To explain, at times you might not be aware that while speaking to your colleagues during a team meeting, you constantly move your hands, or you tend to keep interrupting others while they are speaking.
Quadrant 3:
Hidden: This is the window which is known to the individual themselves and unknown to others. For example, you tend to avoid taking quick decisions or you have a dislike for working in a silo.
Quadrant 4:
Unknown: This is the area which is unknown to both self and others. It’s a process of self-discovery like a solo travel experience, which becomes a process of learning about you.
The art of expanding the open quadrant is known as self-disclosure, which is a two way process for the subject/person or subject’s peers. In a team with co-workers, it’s important to expand the open quadrant as it leads to better communication and self-awareness.
Let’s take a situation at the workplace to understand how we can expand the open quadrant in the team context:
When a new employee joins an organisation, their exposure to the team’s bonding and their general awareness are limited, while the existing employees will be comparatively better aware and will have a larger “open” space than the new ones. Actively listening and seeking feedback from other team members can horizontally expand this “open” space, thus reducing the “blind” space in the Johari window.
Existing group members should take up ownership to make the new ones aware and should also provide regular assistance by extending constructive feedback. The “open” area can be expanded vertically downwards into the “hidden” space by disclosing information about oneself and conveying this to the team members. The new joinee can, for instance, share his/her work experience from a previous organisation.
The “open” quadrant can also be expanded through the “unknown” quadrant by actively asking others to observe you in different situations. Managers play an instrumental role in defining a team member’s strengths and weaknesses, if the same is unknown to the team. This helps in reduced conflict and increased team cooperation as well as fostering open communication and a transparent culture in the organisation.
To conclude, the Johari window helps in understanding oneself and allows people to communicate better and improve awareness amongst others. This acts as a foundation for building better relationships in the workplace.
Quick Tips (you can thank me later):
-Constantly seek feedback
-Share more about yourself with others
-Ask your peers to observe your behavior at work
-Work on self-discovery and reveal more about yourself as you discover more
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