Johari Window

"Away from interfering with rationality, the absence of emotions and feelings may lead to the collapse of rationality, making wise decision-making nearly impossible."

• Antonio Damasio

Damasio The process of self-perception and identity is itself the construction of self and identity. The more the way we look at ourselves changes, the more we ourselves change as well.

What is The Johari Window?

The Johari Window is a psychological tool that helps you understand your relationship with yourself and others. It was named after the creators Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham and was first used in 1955 in a communication development workshop. The Johari Window has been primarily used in self-help groups as a professional training exercise within corporate settings. Luft and Ingham coined the name "Johari" by combining the first syllables of their names: "Jo" from Joseph and "harri" from Harrington.

Why the Johari Window?

The Johari Window is an ideal option for improving and strengthening communication among individuals in the workplace. The more flexible and transparent the communication, the better and more productive it becomes. Through the aforementioned model, individuals can explore themselves more deeply, understand others better, and build trust by revealing aspects of themselves.?

The Johari Window is divided into four sections or areas, each representing a part of yourself.

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1- The Open Area

The open area represents the known and clear part of yourself. It includes what you know about yourself and what others know about you, such as your nationality, name, profession, and what you reveal about yourself to others. It's the part of yourself that you express within your circle of relationships.

In the ideal Johari model, the open area represents the largest portion, because the broader the knowledge others have about you and your self-awareness, the greater the level of influence you exert. This results in effective positive behavior in the workplace.

The open area may be small for some individuals, indicating limited communication and self-expression. This could be due to either being new to the organization and not yet accustomed to the people and environment, or having an introverted personality. Therefore, team managers should find ways to integrate new employees into work environments that suit the organization's culture, such as holding orientation meetings for new employees and introducing them to team members, or organizing shared activities to facilitate positive communication in the workplace.

2- The Hidden Area:

This part of the Johari model represents what you know about yourself but others do not, such as the number of siblings you have or how many children you have, or any information you haven't shared with others but know about yourself. This window also includes the negative aspects of your hidden personality that you consciously choose not to reveal to others. The wisdom lies in choosing what you want to show and to whom you show it. Try to minimize this space to build deep and sincere communication, and strive to act based on what you reveal rather than what you hide.

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3- The Blind Area:

The blind area is the most crucial part for an individual as it represents what others know about you but you do not know about yourself, such as having a habit or a speech mannerism. Often, these observations go unnoticed by the individual but become apparent through feedback. In this area, you should ask others to evaluate your communication and some of your behaviors that you might be unaware of, in order to improve and reduce the blind area in your own model. Transform everything you don't know about yourself into something you know and seek to improve.

Feedback can be activated with the work team in terms of your professional performance and communication flexibility on a regular basis.

Remember to choose a sincere person who displays their character in the ideal Johari model to be aware of what others perceive about them and to be honest with themselves and others.

4- The Unknown Area:

The final quarter of the model represents what you do not know about yourself and what others do not know about you. This may be due to your lack of experience or limited exposure to certain life experiences. This area can be discovered by subjecting yourself to new experiences, whether within the workplace by volunteering for additional tasks or outside the workplace by engaging in activities such as swimming or any sport you haven't tried before. Always try new activities to explore your unknown depths.

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How do we use the Johari Window?

?The primary goal of using the Johari Window is to expand the open area in your personality by:

1- Identifying Personality Traits:

Through the following model, a set of personality traits has been listed. You can choose what you know about yourself and what others know about you. Practice this exercise regularly to understand what distinguishes you and what are the not-so-good qualities in you.

Note: You should accept constructive criticism to improve and develop your personality.

You can conduct the Johari Window exercise in a team setting as follows:

• Open Area:

Write down the prominent traits that you and your teammates agree on about yourself.?

• Hidden Area:

List the traits that you know about yourself but your teammates do not.

• Blind Area:

Note the traits that your teammates have told you about yourself but you are not aware of.

• Unknown Area:

Write down the traits that none of you have identified. Then practice self-awareness and observation ( TED Conferences ) to determine whether you possess those traits or not. You can also designate an observer who knows you well to provide feedback on what has been placed in this category.

2- Setting Your Goals:

Setting goals helps you identify your strengths and weaknesses, and it's an important way to develop your personality. You can use the SMART goals framework to set your goals, measure your skills, and incorporate your traits into them.

3- Seek Feedback:

Feedback is an important element in expanding your open area, reducing the blind and unknown areas. Feedback can improve your performance, boost and motivate yourself, and contribute to the development of your skills. However, it's important to ensure that the space for disclosure and feedback exchange is safe, where there should be no pressure to disclose or hear others' opinions about you. Consider that the goal of this model is to discover yourself to a greater extent than you realize and to present yourself to others to build trust and improve communication in work teams.

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Remember:

Development is a journey, not a destination. Therefore, focus on continuous small improvements and don't confine yourself to the current outcome. Identify your traits, set your goals, and monitor yourself, then continuously develop them.

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