how much is that zucchini in the window?

HOW MUCH IS THAT ZUCCHINI IN THE WINDOW?

THE JOHARI WINDOW AND THE ZUCCHINI CONNECTION: TWO INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS MODELS BY JOSEPH LUFT

RST& ASSOCIATES

Facilitating organizational effectiveness

Robert S. TravisOrganizational Effectiveness ConsultantRST & [email protected]

June, 2014

THE JOHARI WINDOW

The Johari Window is a well-known model demonstrating awareness, especially of behavior and feelings, in interactions between people.

It was developed in 1955 by Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham (“Joe” and “Harry,” giving it the name “Johari”).

RST& ASSOCIATESFACILITATING ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

THE JOHARI WINDOW

The model is drawn as a square, or “window,” divided into four quadrants.

The whole square represents the true self, the person as he/she really is.

The quadrants, or “panes” of the window, represent what is or is not known about the person, both by himself/herself and others.

The Person as He/She Really

Exists

Known to Self

Not Known to Self

Known to Others

Not Known to Others


THE JOHARI WINDOW

The quadrants are defined as follows:

“Open” or “Arena”: What is known to the self and is known to others.

“Blind”: What is not known to the self and is known to others.

“Hidden” or “Façade”: What is known to the self and is not known to others.

“Unknown”: What is not known to the self and is not known to others.


Exists

Known to Self

Not Known to Self

Known to Others

Not Known to Others

OPEN BLIND

HIDDEN

UNKNOWN


THE JOHARI WINDOW

Through interaction with others, the quadrants of the Johari Window can change shape and relative size.

With open communication, more information goes into the Open quadrant, making it larger and the others smaller.

This communication includes processes of observation, feedback, disclosure, and discovery.


Exists

Known to Self

Not Known to Self

Known to Others

Not Known to Others

OPEN BLIND

HIDDEN

UNKNOWN

OPEN

FEEDBACK SOLICITATION

SELF-DISCOVERY

OTH

ER

S’

OB

SER

VA

TIO

N

SELF-D

ISC

LO

SU

RE

SHARED

DISCO

VERY


THE JOHARI WINDOW

As a model, the Johari Window is elegant in its simplicity.

It succinctly demonstrates the value of openness, disclosure, and discovery in interpersonal relationships.

It serves as the basis for a number of exercises and interventions aimed at improving group interactions and team cohesiveness.

But, like every model, it isn’t perfect; it has its flaws.

To put it another way, there are a few “cracks” in the window. The Person as

He/She Really Exists

Known to Self

Not Known to Self

Known to Others

Not Known to Others

OPEN BLIND

HIDDEN

UNKNOWN


CRACKS IN THE WINDOW: A STORY

A true story to demonstrate the “cracks” in the Johari Window:

Years ago, a college student was working as a cashier in a drugstore on Long Island.

One day, the actor Peter Boyle came into her store.

Not sure if this really was him, or merely someone who looked like him, she asked,

“Has anyone ever told you that you look like Peter Boyle?”



As he paid for his purchase, he answered,

“Peter Boyle? Peter Boyle! No.

Robert Redford. Not Peter Boyle!”

It’s probably safe to assume he was joking—one can only hope he was!

But, let’s imagine for a moment that he wasn’t.



In what quadrant of the Johari Window would we place the statement “I look like Robert Redford”?

“I don’t look like Robert Redford” would go into the Blind quadrant.

So would “I look like Peter Boyle.”

“I think I look like Robert Redford” could go in the Hidden quadrant.

That is, until he said something, which would move it into the Open quadrant.


Exists

Known to Self

Not Known to Self

Known to Others

Not Known to Others

OPEN BLIND

HIDDEN

UNKNOWN



But, where to put the “fact,” as he sees it, that he looks like Robert Redford?

Since the whole window represents the person as he/she really exists, false beliefs like this don’t really fit in any quadrant.

The same is true of false beliefs others may have about the person.

For example, if Peter Boyle had convinced the cashier that he did look like Robert Redford, her mistaken belief wouldn’t fit into any quadrant, either.

Known to Self



Exists

Not Known to Self

Known to Others

Not Known to Others

OPEN BLIND

HIDDEN

UNKNOWN

?


Although beliefs like these are false, they are just as real as any true beliefs held by the person or by others.

False beliefs like these “slip through the cracks” of the Johari Window.

Known to Self



Exists

Not Known to Self

Known to Others

Not Known to Others

OPEN BLIND

HIDDEN

UNKNOWN

?

THE ZUCCHINI CONNECTION

In 1984, Joseph Luft (the “Joe” in “Johari”) developed a new model that is not as well known as the Johari Window.

He called this model the Zucchini Connection.

This model accounts for false beliefs, or what Luft calls “illusions,” which are missing from the Johari Window.

It demonstrates that perception, whether true or not, is built into interpersonal relationships.



This model is drawn as a “zucchini” overlapped by two boxes.

The zucchini represents the true self, the person as he/she really is.

A box over the center of the zucchini represents the person’s self-image.

A box over one end of the zucchini, and overlapping the center box, represents another’s image of the person.


The Person’s Self-Image


Exists

Another’s Image

of the Person


Note that the parts of the Johari Window are represented in the Zucchini Connection.

The zucchini represents the true self, just as the whole square of the Johari Window does.

The quadrants of the Johari Window are represented in the parts of the zucchini as it is divided by the two boxes.




Exists

Another’s Image

of the Person

OP

EN

BLIN

D

HID

DE

N

UN

KN

OW

N


The parts of the boxes that don’t cover the zucchini provide the other dimension of this model.

This is the dimension of false beliefs and impressions, or “illusions,” which are not included in the Johari Window.

Note that these boxes overlap, indicating that some illusions are shared.




Exists

Another’s Image

of the Person

ILLUSIONS INTHE SELF-IMAGE

ILLUSIONS INTHE OTHER’S IMAGE

SHARED ILLUSIONS

ILLUSIONS IN THE OTHER’S IMAGE

ILLUSIONS IN THESELF-IMAGE

SHARED ILLUSIONS


Where the quadrants of the Johari Window can change shape and relative size, Luft designed the Zucchini Connection as a static model.

The relative sizes of the sections of the boxes, or of the zucchini, do not indicate how much information is there.

The model simply illustrates that images of a person, whether held by himself/herself, or by someone with whom the person is interacting, contain both correct and incorrect perceptions, while showing that some parts of the person remain unknown to both parties.




Exists

Another’s Image

of the Person


In 2004, Anne Brockbank and Ian McGill described another view of the Zucchini Connection.

They pointed out that, in a group of more than two, there are multiple boxes overlapping the zucchini and each other.

Each additional box represents the image a different group member has of the person.

Each box is unique, containing its own set of true facts and false illusions, some of which are shared with the person and with other group members.




Exists

Another’s Image

of the Person

CONCLUSION

The Johari Window is dynamic and elegant, and forms the basis of several team activities and group interventions.

It demonstrates that we all have parts of ourselves that are known and unknown both to ourselves and to others.


Known to Self

Not Known to Self


Exists

Known to Others

Not Known to Others

OPEN BLIND

HIDDEN

UNKNOWN

CONCLUSION

The Zucchini Connection is static and more complex, and is not often used as the basis for group activities.

It does, however, illustrate the presence of false beliefs, or “illusions,” in our perceptions of ourselves and in those others have of us.




Exists

Another’s Image

of the Person

CONCLUSION

Both models are useful.

They are presented here in the hope that the viewer will use either, or both, as appropriate, in the study of, and in working with, interpersonal relations.



The Person as He/She Really Exists

Another’s Image

of the Person

The Person as He/She Really Exists

Known to Self

Not Known to Self

Known to Others

Not Known

to Others

OPEN BLIND

HIDDEN

UNKNOWN

REFERENCES

Anonymous. (n. d.) Private communication: Story about the cahier’s encounter with Peter Boyle.

Brockbank, A. & McGill, I. (2004). Chapter 9, Being a presenter. In The Action Learning Handbook: Powerful Techniques for Education, Professional Development, and Training (Rev. ed.). London, England: RoutledgeFalmer.

Chapman, A. (n. d.). Johari Window—helpful for personal awareness and group relationships. Retrieved June 3, 2014 from http://www.businessballs.com/johariwindowmodel.htm

Luft, J. (1984). Chapter 5, The Johari Window: A model of awareness in interpersonal relations. In Group Processes: An Introduction to Group Dynamics (3rd ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Luft, J. (1984). Chapter 6, The Zucchini Connection: How people see one another. In Group Processes: An Introduction to Group Dynamics (3rd ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company.

Travis, R. S. (2009). The Zucchini Connection: Another perspective on the Johari Window concept with an additional dimension [PowerPoint presentation]. Arlington, VA: George Mason University School of Public Policy.

With special thanks to Peter Boyle.

And to Robert Redford.


how much is that zucchini in the window?

Leadership & Management

johari window

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true self

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hidden quadrant

blind quadrant

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