"Feedback is a gift. Any kind of feedback, whether positive or less positive. Yet it can be difficult to confront someone about less positive behaviour."
Feedback is a gift. Any form of feedback, whether positive or less positive. Yet it can be difficult to address someone about less positive behaviour. This is because people are not always aware of their own behaviour, which can make the conversation uncomfortable.
The Johari Window helps with this, as it provides a visual insight into how others perceive your actions compared to how you perceive your own. The window was developed by Joseph Luften and Harry Ingham (1955) and consists of four quadrants. Frankwatching recently wrote an article about it.
Get some practical tips right away on how to implement the Johari Window in your organisation. And all this using an accessible, automated feedback tool.
The open space is familiar to both yourself and others, making it easy to communicate about what you recognise as well as what others recognise. You are also willing to share everything with the rest of the world, so that others can get to know you better too. You present yourself as an open and sincere conversation partner, radiating transparency and trust towards the other person. You often receive a great deal of feedback thanks to the extensive information you share with those around you.
The blind spot refers to what others see in you, but you do not see yourself. These may be areas for personal improvement, but they may also be core strengths. By regularly asking your colleagues for feedback, you gain insight into your talents and your less strong points. In this way, you become more aware of your characteristics, enabling you to further develop your personal character. Asking for feedback doesn’t have to involve long, tedious questionnaires; it can be as simple as asking a single question, for example by asking a colleague how they experienced you whilst working together on that client case.
The hidden area is the area that some people sometimes consciously wish to keep hidden. These include aspects, such as ways of working together, which employees would rather not reveal to others. For this reason, the hidden area is also known as ‘the mask’, as you do not reveal your true self completely. The more you feel you are holding back, the stronger your mask becomes. If this is the case, you have managed to keep many of your traits to yourself, without them being discovered by your colleagues.
The unknown area seems very vague. It is that which is unknown to both yourself and your colleagues. Specifically, these are characteristics and traits that you do possess, but do not actively use. These traits may also lie dormant within you unconsciously. An example of this is a colleague who never gives presentations. Suddenly, the employee who was due to give the quarterly presentation calls in sick. The employee in question is asked to take over. Afterwards, it turns out that presenting is a natural talent of the employee. This is why this unknown territory is also referred to as ‘the unconscious’.
“Feedback increases the likelihood of a successful collaboration”
In practice, not all areas of the Johari window are the same size. Ideally, the ‘open’ area should be the largest. In this case, you are an open book to others and have a positive self-image. The other areas represent areas for development for you as an employee. Through the feedback you receive, you gain insight into your blind spots and discover how you come across to your colleagues. By giving feedback to colleagues, you also create a clearer picture of yourself. This allows you to highlight which qualities you possess and which you’d like to apply more often, for example when working together. This increases the likelihood of a successful collaboration.
Do have a read of our articles and blogs on feedback, for example:
