The Johari Window is a communication model that can be used to improve

understanding between individuals within a team or in a group setting. Based on

disclosure, self-disclosure and feedback, the Johari Window can also be used to
improve a group's relationship with other groups. Developed by Joseph Luft and
Harry Ingham (the word "Johari" comes from Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham), there
are two key ideas behind the tool:

That individuals can build trust between themselves by disclosing information about
themselves;

and

That they can learn about themselves and come to terms with personal issues with
the help of feedback from others.

By explaining the idea of the Johari Window to your team, you can help team
members understand the value of self-disclosure, and gently encourage people to
give and accept feedback. Done sensitively, this can help people build more-
trusting relationships with one another, solve issues and work more effectively as a
team.

Johari Window Questionnaire

Instructions: Read each numbered item carefully. Read the statements marked “A”
and “B.” Determine which statement is most similar to what you would do. Assign a
point value to the A and B statements using the following scale. The total point
value for A and B is five (5).
If statement A is most similar to what you would do: A = 5 B = 0
If statement A is not satisfactory, but better than B: A = 4 or 3 B = 1 or 2
If statement B is most similar to what you would do: A = 0 B = 5
If statement B is not satisfactory, but better than A: A = 1 or 2 B = 4 or 3

1. If a friend of mine had a “personality conflict” with a mutual acquaintance

(friend) of ours and I thought it was important for them to get along, I would:

A. Tell my friend that I felt s/he was partially responsible for any problems with this
other person and try to let him/her know how the person was being affected by
him/her.
B. Not get involved because I wouldn’t be able to continue to get along with both of
them once I had entered into their conflict in any way.

2. If one of my friends and I had a heated argument in the past and I realized that
s/he was ill at ease around me from that time on, I would:
A. Just let the whole thing drop to avoid making things worse by discussing it.
B. Bring up his/her behavior and ask how s/he felt the argument had affected our
relationship.
3. If a friend began to avoid me and act in an aloof and withdrawn manner, I
would:
A. Tell him/her about his/her behavior and suggest that s/he tell me what was on
his/her mind.
B. Follow his/her lead & keep our contact brief & aloof since that seems to be what
s/he wants.

4. If two of my friends and I were talking and one of them slipped and brought up a
personal problem of mine that involved the other friend, of which s/he was not yet
aware, I would:
A. Change the subject and signal my friend to do the same.
B. Briefly explain what the other friend was talking about and suggest that we go
into it later.

5. If a friend of mine were to tell me that, in his/her opinion, I was doing things
that made me less effective than I might be in social situations, I would:
A. Ask him/her to describe what s/he has observed and suggest changes I might
make.
B. Resent his/her criticism and let him/her know why I behave the way I do.

6. If one of my friends aspired to an office in our organization for which I felt s/he
was unqualified, and if s/he had been tentatively assigned to that position by the
leader of our group, I would:
A. Not mention any misgivings to either my friend or the leader of our group and
let them handle it in their own way.
B. Tell my friend and the group leader of my misgivings and leave the final decision
to them.

7. If I felt that one of my friends was being unfair to me and his/her other friends,
but none of the other friends had mentioned anything about it, I would:
A. Ask the other friends how they perceive the situation to see if they felt s/he was
being unfair.
B. Not ask the others how they perceive our friend, but wait for them to bring it up
with me.

8. If I were preoccupied with some personal matters and a friend told me that I had
become irritated with him/her and others and that I was jumping on him/her for
unimportant things, I would:
A. Tell him/her I was preoccupied and would probably be on edge for a while.
B. Listen to his/her complaints but not explain myself to him/her.

9. If I had heard some friends discussing an ugly rumor about a friend of mine
which I knew could hurt him/her and s/he asked me what I knew about it, if
anything, I would:
A. Say I didn’t know anything and tell him/her our friends wouldn’t believe ugly
rumors anyway.
B. Tell him/her exactly what I had heard, when I had heard it, and from whom I
had heard it.

10. If a friend pointed out that I had a personality conflict with another friend with
whom it was important for me to get along, I would:
A. Consider his/her comments out of line and tell him/her I didn’t want to discuss
the matter.
B. Talk about it openly with him/her to find out how my behavior was being
affected by this.

11. If my relationship with a friend has been damaged by repeated arguments on

an issue of importance to us both, I would:
A. Be cautious in my conversations with him/her so the issue would not come up
again to worsen our relationship.
B. Explain the problems the controversy is causing for our relationship and suggest
that we discuss it until we get it resolved.

12. If in a conversation with a friend about his/her personal problems and behavior
s/he suddenly suggested we discuss my problems and behavior as well as his/her
own, I would:
A. Be evasive and try to keep the discussion away from me.
B. Welcome the opportunity to hear what s/he felt about me and encourage his/her
comments.

13. If a friend of mine began to tell me about his/her hostile feelings about another
friend whom s/he felt was being unkind to others (and I agreed wholeheartedly), I
would:
A. Listen and also express my own feelings to her/him so s/he would know where I
stood.
B. Listen, but not express my own negative views and opinion because s/he might
repeat what I said in confidence.

14. If I thought an ugly rumor was being spread about me and suspected that one
of my friends had quite likely heard it, I would:
A. Avoid mentioning the issue and leave it to him/her to tell me about it if s/he
wanted to.
B. Risk putting him/her on the spot by asking directly what s/he knew about the
rumor.

15. If had observed a friend in social situations and thought that s/he was doing a
number of things which hurt his/her relationships, I would:
A. Risk being seen as a busy-body and tell him/her what I had observed and my
reactions to it.
B. Keep my opinion to myself rather than be seen as interfering in what is none of
my business.

16. If two friends and I were talking and one of them inadvertently mentioned a
personal problem which involved me, but of which I knew nothing, I would:
A. Press them for information about the problem and their opinions on it.
B. Leave it up to my friends to tell me or not, letting them change the subject if
they wished.

17. If a friend seemed to be preoccupied and began to jump on me for seemingly

unimportant things, as well as others without real cause, I would:
A. Treat him/her with kid gloves for a while on the assumption that s/he was
having some temporary personal problems which were none of my business.
B. Try to talk to him/her about it and explain how his/her behavior was affecting
others.

18. If I had begun to dislike certain habits of a friend to the point that it was
interfering with my enjoyment of their company, I would:
A. Say nothing to him/her directly, but let him/her know my feelings by ignoring
him/her whenever the annoying habits were obvious.
B. Get my feelings out in the open and clear the air so that we could continue our
friendship comfortably and enjoyably.

19. In discussing social behavior with one of my more sensitive friends, I would:
A. Avoid mentioning his/her flaws and weaknesses so as not to hurt his/her
feelings.
B. Focus on his/her flaws and weaknesses so s/he could improve his/her
interpersonal skills.

20. If I knew my friends’ attitudes toward me had become rather negative lately
and I knew I might be assigned an important position in our group, I would:
A. Discuss my shortcomings with my friends so I could see where to improve.
B. Try to figure out my own shortcomings by myself so I could improve.

Johari Window Scoring Sheet

Below are two columns where you are to record the points you assigned for each
response to the Johari Window Questionnaire. Total the points at the bottom of
each column.
Solicits Feedback (X axis)
2B
3A
5A
7A
8B
10B
12B
14B
16A
20A
Total

Willingness to Disclose/Give Feedback (Y axis)

1A
4B
6B
9B
11B
13A
15A
17B
18B
19B
Total

Johari Window
Plot the totals from each column on the graph below. The total from the “Solicits
Feedback” column is recorded along the horizontal axis. The total from the
“Willingness to Disclose” column is recorded along the vertical axis. (NOTE: 0 is at
the top of the vertical axis and 50 at the bottom of the vertical axis!) Divide the
graph into four sections by drawing straight lines from the scores.

for instance
The four quadrants are:

Quadrant 1: Open Area

What is known by the person about him/herself and is also known by
others.

Quadrant 2: Blind Area, or "Blind Spot"

What is unknown by the person about him/herself but which others know.
This can be simple information, or can involve deep issues (for example,
feelings of inadequacy, incompetence, unworthiness, rejection) which are
difficult for individuals to face directly, and yet can be seen by others.

Quadrant 3: Hidden or Avoided Area

What the person knows about him/herself that others do not.

Quadrant 4: Unknown Area

What is unknown by the person about him/herself and is also unknown by
others.

The process of enlarging the open quadrant vertically is called self-

disclosure, a give and take process between the person and the people
he/she interacts with.

As information is shared, the boundary with the hidden quadrant moves

downwards. And as other people reciprocate, trust tends to build between
them.

Explaining the Johari Window:

The Johari Window model consists of a foursquare grid (think of taking a

piece of paper and dividing it into four parts by drawing one line down the
middle of the paper from top to bottom, and another line through the
middle of the paper from side-to-side). This is shown in the diagram
below:

Using the Johari model, each person is represented by their own four-
quadrant, or four-pane, window. Each of these contains and represents
personal information – feelings, motivation – about the person, and shows
whether the information is known or not known by themselves or other
people.

Quote:

Tip 1:
Don't be rash in your self-disclosure. Disclosing harmless items builds trust.
However, disclosing information which could damage people's respect for you can
put you in a position of weakness.

Using the Tool:

The process of enlarging the open quadrant horizontally is one of

feedback. Here the individual learns things about him- or her-self that
others can see, but he or she can’t.

Quote:
Tip 2:
Be careful in the way you give feedback. Some cultures have a very open and
accepting approach to feedback. Others don't. You can cause incredible offence if
you offer personal feedback to someone who's not used to it. Be sensitive, and
start gradually.
If anyone is interested in learning more about this individual, they
reciprocate by disclosing information in their hidden quadrant.

For example, the first participant may disclose that he/she is a runner. The
other participant may respond by adding that he/she works out regularly
at the local gym, and may then disclose that the gym has recently added
an indoor jogging track for winter runners.

As your levels of confidence and self-esteem rises, it is easier to invite

others to comment on your blind spots. Obviously, active and empathic
listening skills are useful in this exercise.

The Johari Window in a Team Context

Keep in mind that established team members will have larger open areas
than new team members. New team members start with smaller open
areas because little knowledge about the new team member has yet been
shared. The size of the Open Area can be expanded horizontally into the
blind space, by seeking and actively listening to feedback from other
group members.

Group members should strive to assist a team member in expanding their

Open Area by offering constructive feedback. The size of the Open Area
can also be expanded vertically downwards into the hidden or avoided
space by the sender’s disclosure of information, feelings, etc about
himself/herself to the group and group members.

Also, group members can help a person expand their Open Area into the
hidden area by asking the sender about himself/herself. Managers and
team leaders play a key role here, facilitating feedback and disclosure
among group members, and by providing constructive feedback to
individuals about their own blind areas.

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.