Johari Window Template

Who invented the Johari Window Model?

In 1955, psychologists Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham from UCLA first presented the Johari Window model. Nowadays, teams frequently utilize the Johari Window to enhance "soft" skills such as compassion, collaboration, interpersonal growth, and communication. What does "Johari" mean? It is a portmanteau of the two inventors' names, Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham.

What are the four sections of the Johari Window Model?

1. Open

   The open area of our consciousness is what we are keenly aware of and what others observe: our perspectives, behavior, enthusiasm, principles, lifestyle. In this space, we have the liberty to move freely.

2. Blind

   Subjects may not always select their own adjectives, but their peers have the power to do so. This can reveal what others perceive about the subject, even if the subject does not recognize it themselves.

3. Hidden

   The subject's chosen adjectives that are unknown to their peers go in this quadrant. These are opinions or beliefs that the subject holds but which their peers may be unaware of or even disagree with.

4. Unknown

   Undiscovered adjectives that neither the subject nor their peers have identified are placed here. These words depict the subject's actions or intentions that none of those present have noticed - either because they don't have any relevance or simply due to a lack of understanding of such attributes.

Create your own Johari Window

When it comes to creating your own Johari Windows, it is excellent to know just how quick and easy it truly is. The Figma Johari Window Template is the ideal canvas when it comes to creating and sharing with your whole team. All you need to do to get started is select the Johari Window Template and follow the steps below to make one of your very own.

Step 1: Look at and compare the lists that have been made in the Adjectives section. From there, add the yellow stickies that match the blue ones to the open field, top left quadrant. This quadrant will show you all of the information that people know about you and you know about yourself. Perhaps you’re an excellent listener and you know it and others have also told you this. It is a very easy exercise because you begin on common ground that is shared with your entire team.

Step 2: Move the blue stickies around if there are no yellow ones that are matching. You then add these to the blind field as these are your blind spots.

Step 3: Now you need to fill out the hidden or bottom left area where the yellow stickies are remaining. These are all of the things you are aware of about yourself, but others don’t know. For many people, these will be things we like to hide such as fears, undesirable traits, and insecurities. Maybe you think people will no longer like you if you went to a college that is ranked lower.

Step 4: Now you need to reflect on past experiences and add them all into the unknown field that sits in the bottom right quadrant. These will be your pivotal learning moments. Most of the time, this will be quite tricky. In this box, you need to write down the things nobody knows about you that you also don’t know about yourself: the unknown unknowns.

Step 5: Once you have done this, you need to do what is written in the arrows coming out from the open field in the first left quadrant.

Step 6: In order to finalize this exercise, you need to sit and reflect on your findings. Was it an easy task? How can you apply everything you’ve learned about your teammates? What are your blind spots? How can you work on them?

Although being vulnerable and sharing information can be scary at times, many people actually find it very empowering. Being able to openly speak about fears and insecurities makes people realize that their coworkers often share many of their traits. Telling your teammates how you’re feeling will reduce the hidden area and head to the open area fostering cooperation and trust.

Don’t worry yourself if this seems daunting or confusing. Instead, think of this as an important opportunity to reflect on what you may need to discover about yourself. Perhaps you will write something like “There could be something keeping me from realizing my true potential in the workplace, but I don’t know what it is yet.”

You need to see this box as more of an opportunity than an obstacle.

What are the four quadrants of the Johari Window?

The Johari Window is comprised of four distinct quadrants - the Open Area or Arena, the Blind Pane, the Hidden and the Unknown. By fully exploring all four areas, individuals are able to increase their self-awareness and encourage better communication within and between groups.

How do you use the Johari Window for self-awareness?

You can employ the Johari Window template for constructing a team. Numerous teams utilize Johari Windows to strengthen cross-functional or intra-team relationships, encourage personnel to communicate more effectively, and foster empathy. This approach can help reduce misunderstandings and enhance self-awareness. For instance, new staff members may not always be compatible with existing teams when organisations expand. Other teams could struggle to communicate across functions and interpret different team cultures and standards. Additionally, some teams may have difficulty managing employees who work remotely. A Johari Window can help facilitate dialogues inside and between groups.

What are the benefits of the Johari Window Model?

The Johari Window Model assists individuals in gaining greater self-awareness and comprehending each other within a collective. Finishing the framework aims to enhance communication among the group, cultivate trust through disclosure and opening up, and decrease the likelihood of miscommunication when perceiving one another.