Why Do 2 Psychologists Need a Window?
There’s no punch line.
They made their own window. The two gentlemen were Joseph Luft and Harry (short for Harrington) Ingham. They couldn’t think of a good name, evidentially, so they called it the Johari Window.
The Johari (pronounced “Joe-Harry”) Window is a tool.
It was created in 1955 while they were studying group dynamics at UCLA.
Now, it’s become part of our tool bag at A Radical Vision. We have grabbed on to it, not only for it’s ability to measure groups, but also individuals within those groups. Namely the leaders and all members of the groups.
If you’ll indulge me and have a look at it, you’ll see running up and down the y-axis are the things that are “known by others” and the things “unknown by others.” Conversely, on the x-axis running left to right are the things that are “known by [your]self” and the things that are unknown by [your]self.”
You’ll see that in the upper left corner (Quadrant #1) is the open area. This is where collaboration is at it’s highest. It’s where most teams aspire to be, because of the openness that exists. This is when you have a more seasoned team that has been successful in getting through some tough times together and have bonded for the betterment of the company.
The Blindspot
In Quadrant #2 there are things that are known to others but unknown to yourself. You will want to do everything that you can to shrink this area. As you solicit feedback you will do just that and also increase the Open Area (Quadrant #1). Remember when you solicit feedback you have to able to receive that feedback as openly as possible.
Feedback is a gift and when you receive a gift you say, “Thank you.” Where you go with that feedback is up to you, but it’s important that you put yourself in the best possible position when you receive feedback openly.
The first 2 Quadrants contain the things that are “known by others.”
Our next post will cover the things that are not known by others.
It’s interesting to see how teams look when they put themselves into this tool. What’s more interesting is when we talk about specific tools that you can use to grow Quadrant #1.
- UPDATE – The old and the new - July 18, 2023
- Rehab is work - April 14, 2023
- I lost my wallet - April 6, 2023
