Using The Johari Window
I am a fan of psychometric instruments and heuristic exercises. Many times, the tools are self-assessments. These serve an important function in self-awareness and self-realization but do also run a risk of being skewed towards traits that the individual feels are more important or desirable. In moments of true self-reflection, though, tools like Meyers-Briggs, DiSC, Emergentics, Herrmann (HBDI), and StrengthsFinder can bring extremely valuable insight into one’s personality, preferences, and strengths. They are not meant to “box someone in” or “profile” someone’s ability- although there are many detractors, and even proponents, who would have you believe otherwise. The key is honesty.
In both my undergrad studies in HR, and my graduate schooling in the field of Management and Leadership, I have been able to see first-hand the groundbreaking insights that come from honest self-assessment. I have also seen the charlatan, carefully choosing their answer in order to skew their results in what they feel is a more desirable outcomes.
However, there is one methodology that kept cropping up and used a 360-degree approach using self-assessment, and peer-assessment. It is called the Johari Window.
I became familiar with the Johari Window while pursuing my degree, and when I found myself teaching Introduction to Psychology, and Organizational Psychology 101, I made sure to spend extra time on this technique. I also usually paired it with a self-assessment such as MBTI, and found that when used together honestly, these two tools were invaluable.
What is the Johari Window?
Let’s take a minute to understand the history and parts of the Johari Window. Created in 1955 by psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham, the Johari Window is an approach focused on helping people understand their relationships with themselves and with other.
The exercise involves self-assessment and peer-assessment. A list of 56 adjectives is provided for self- and peer-assessments. The individual chooses a certain number of adjectives they feel describes them, and then each peer participant chooses the same number of adjectives that they feel describe the individual. Once this information is gathered, it is then categorized into the four quadrants of the Johari Window:
Any adjective that is chosen by individual and peers goes into the “Arena” quadrant, also known as “Open”. Whatever is chosen by the individual but not by any peers goes in the “Façade” quadrant, also known as “Hidden”. Adjectives chosen by peers but not by the individual are placed into the “Blind Spot” quadrant. Finally, any adjectives not chosen by either the individual or their peers are placed in the “Unknown” quadrant. These adjectives may go here either because they do not apply to the individual, or because no one is aware of their application.
How can you use these insights?
The ultimate goal of the Johari Window exercise is to become more self-aware. It can also be used to increase understanding of others in a group setting. As we start to see not only how we view ourselves, but how others view us, we can begin to be more open in our communication and preferences with each other.
So why did I like to spend time using this tool? In many cases this tool lets us know where we “fib” as well as what we need to work on. If we think we are "dependable", but no one else does, it opens us up to the fact that we probably aren’t being honest with ourselves. And if others see a trait in us that we don’t, we can see our relationships from a whole new angle.
What this does is enlarge the Arena, or “open” area of the Window. As this occurs, we become more self-aware, and we understand ourselves and how others see us better. When this is done in a group setting, we can use this information to understand the best ways to work and communicate with one another.
From a personal development standpoint, moving from “hidden” to “known” helps us create more open and trusting relationships. But we can also take this Johari Window concept a step further.
We can create a type of Johari Window for a project and use this to create a better work environment by being more open and sharing more about the goals, timeframes, problems, and expectations- moving from “hidden” to “known” so everyone can be on the same page and are set up for success.
The implementation of the Johari Window is invaluable, and the concept that it encompasses can be used in many different applications for personal and professional development.
Have you used the Johari Window? How about other instruments? How have you benefited from honest self-reflection and assessment?
