The Johari Window model
The Johari Window model was very instrumental in enhancing my level of self-awareness. In addition, I realized it has an excellent capacity to improve harmony between members of a group. The model, designed by American psychologists Harry Ingham and Joseph Luft, enables the graphing of one’s relationship to others. After answering questions on the Johari’s Window and plotting the results on a graph, I was able to assess my level of receptivity to feedback, and my level of self-disclosure. Therefore, I got to understand the Johari Window as a method of plotting disclosive behaviour in relationships. The model creates a diagrammatic representation of aspects of self that may be familiar or unfamiliar to others. Furthermore, I got to understand that between any two individuals, there are two windows. These windows may be similar, different, and even experience changes. In this article, I discuss my results after plotting my Johari window, in detail.
In my assessment of my willingness to give feedback, I scored 45. On the other hand, my score for willingness to provide feedback was also 45. This score, and the resulting graph, suggests that I am generally an open person. My scoresheet indicates that my open pane is the biggest, while the other panes-hidden, unknown, and blind, were the smallest. Therefore, this means that I am an open book who is well aware of my way of life, values, motivation, behaviour and attitudes. In addition, this score indicates that I have, over time, expanded my Johari Window through disclosure and feedback. Furthermore, some of the adjectives that I used to describe myself include: adaptable, bold, confident, dependable, independent, kind, mature, patient, and powerful. When I asked my peers to describe me, some of the adjectives they used included the words: adaptable, dependable, mature, patient, and powerful. Thus, in the arena pane of my Johari window, the things that are known to others and I also referred to as things in the open, including the fact that I am adaptable and mature.
Other adjectives that belong to the arena that were used to describe me include: powerful, dependable, and patient. However, some of the attributes that I thought defined me, that my peers did not mention, include: bold, kind, independent, and confident. Therefore, these four adjectives belong to the facade pane of my Johari window, also referred to as the things not known to others. This territory of the Johari Window is also called the hidden. In addition, in the blind spot of my Johari window, I discovered that some of the things that were known to others but unknown to me. My peers mentioned that I was warm, trustworthy, humble, and idealistic- these were attributes I had never thought would be used to describe me. Nonetheless, there exist characteristics that I may have, considering that the Johari Window model has 56 adjectives to choose from, that neither my peers nor I were aware of. Those attributes, therefore, form the true unknown. In the context of my self-analysis, some of the adjectives that belong to the unknown include: shy, loving, nervous, and complex.
Therefore, it is clear that the Johari Window encompasses all aspects of a person’s personality- even those aspects that they do not know about themselves. The information can also predict an individual’s future interactions with others. Therefore, this theory is crucial in comparing the known and unknown, and by aiding the understanding the relationships, the Johari Window is essential for improving leadership skills. The challenge, therefore, is to improve one’s personal window by asking for feedback and thus, reducing the number of true unknowns. This can be done by expanding the arena or expanding the things that are true about an individual. To find more information on what people perceive about me, therefore, it is vital to share opinion. In addition, disclosing more to other people, or sharing an idea with others, is important for exploring the unknown territory of the Johari Window. Therefore, asking peers questions about oneself and requesting that they conduct an intentional observation of my behaviour is critical to revealing more unknowns. Additionally, increasing one’s individual level of self-discovery can improve one’s knowledge of the unknown.
Consequently, the results I received from the Johari Window indicate that I am an excellent communicator. My tendency to be open is, thus, likely to enable me to be an effective leader. The Johari window covers aspects of personality and communication skills that are crucial to effective leadership. The Johari Window also assesses a leader’s capacity to resolve conflict or avoid conflict by clarifying messages where they are not well understood, for example. Moreover, the Johari window provokes individuals to think about how best to avoid a dispute that may arise from factors such as anti-social behaviour. The anti-social behaviour in this context may include factors such as making rude comments about others, discussing the weaknesses and mistakes of others, or acting aloof or withdrawn. In addition, employees of an organization or members of a group may have personal differences with each other. The questions asked within the Johari Window model, and the interpersonal skills that it measures, represent challenges and topics that leaders must address.
In addition, considering that the Johari model is a communication model, the communications skills it emphasizes are critical in teambuilding, conflict resolution and inclusion. For instance, the concept behind the Johari Window process is that individuals have the inherent capacity to apply four approaches to interpersonal relationships. These approaches include the capability to resist any feedback that concerns them, the ability to receive feedback and make productive use of it, the capacity to convey any personal information to others, and the capacity to release a lot of information about themselves to others. Regarding the link between communication and leadership, leadership theories emphasize that a leader should ideally be open-minded and supportive of the idea of change. This is because leaders have the responsibility to equip their organizations with the necessary resources, unity and teamwork to thrive in competitive conditions. Having excellent communication skills is also part of managerial wisdom- which requires that leaders should have an immense understanding of their followers.
Furthermore, having a big arena, or being an open book, is crucial, for leaders because leadership demands integrity. Integrity consists of openness with others and helping people understand reality as wholly and thoroughly as a leader can.
Moreover, open-mindedness is a crucial cognitive strength that leaders must use to gain the trust and confidence of their followers. Furthermore, some of the traits that form part of the ideal leadership characteristics that research into leadership and leadership theory encourages include self-assurance, confidence, intelligence, open-mindedness, sociability, articulateness, dependability, trustworthiness, and diligence. In addition, specific leadership theories advocate for particular traits. For instance, transformational leadership theory recommends that to achieve transformational change, a leader should be inspirational, entertain new ideas, and share collective organizational consciousness. Therefore, to achieve the goals of transformational leadership, leaders need to be aware of the feelings of other members of the organization. Such awareness helps them to establish methods through which they can elicit desired actions from their group members. Furthermore, being an open book is essential to transformational leadership because leaders are required to inspire their followers by making them feel valued. For this to be possible, followers need to be aware of the attitudes and feelings of the leader.
Additionally, leaders must make group members or team members feel included as part of the organization. To help other members of an organization identify with the values, norms, and beliefs of the organization, according to social identity theory, the leader needs to be an open book whose opinions and ideas are known by their followers. Moreover, according to lead-member exchange theory, valuable relationships are formed on the foundation of trust, respect, and excellent communication. Some of the challenges that leaders and organizations alike face in the desire to fulfil their objectives include the lack of clear goals. However, by using the Johari Window model, and by being an open book, a leader can have group members goal-oriented by being open-minded and communicating their personal attitudes and beliefs effectively.
Overall, the Johari window model has been effective in helping me increase my levels of self-awareness regarding how I receive feedback from others, and disclose my own opinions, attitudes and beliefs to others. From this communication model, I learnt that I am an open book who is open to listening to the views of others, but who is also willing to share his own thoughts and other personal information. Moreover, I learnt that I am willing to solicit feedback with enthusiasm equal to that which I display when I give feedback. Some of the skills I learnt from the Johari window include the importance of using open and transparent communication to avoid and resolve conflict. In addition, the Johari window taught me my strengths and areas I should work on.