1. Conceptual Models for Mentors
Exploring relationships 1 – Johari Window and Bartari’s Box
Conceptual Models for Mentors
Jane Stubberfield
How can you help your client explore relationships that they may want some help with. That is what these next three presentations will be looking at. This one is about two models. The first one is called Johari Window and the second one Bartari’s Box

2. Objectives By the end of these sessions you will be able to:
Identify four models for exploring relationships
Explain the concepts behind the models
Evaluate the use of the models in mentoring
By the end of this session you will be able to:
Identify four models for exploring relationships
Explain the concepts behind the models
Evaluate the use of the models in mentoring

3. Johari Window Known to self Not known to self Known to others Open
Blind
Not known to others
Hidden
Unknown
The first of the models we are going to explore is called Johari Window. The model was devised by Joseph Luft and Harry Ingham in It is a useful model to help with self awareness and to explain about interpersonal communication and relationships. The model is divided in to four quadrants. In the diagram all four boxes are of equal size and this is not often the case. We will explore how and when it changes later on.
The first box is to do with everything that is known to us and known to others. This is the open quadrant where the information about whatever the Johari Window is being applied to is shared, known and out in the open. This could be applied to you in the context of your team, what information is known to you and what information is known to others, do you want to increase or decrease this amount of open information? It could apply to you in terms of your self awareness. What information about you do you share and is known by the rest of the team? It could be about a particular project – what information is openly shared with everyone in the project. Or in a relationship like mentor and student, what information is shared by both?
Then there is the quadrant labelled blind. This is the information that is known by others but not known by you. This quadrant can be made smaller by enlarging the open quadrant through asking questions, getting feedback, paying attention to results etc.
The third quadrant is the hidden quadrant or sometimes known as the façade. This quadrant is about what you know but others don’t know. So in terms of self awareness this is what you know about yourself but you hide from others. The size of this quadrant will vary between different situations and different relationships. For example, this quadrant is likely to be much larger when you dealing with a new customer for the first time and much smaller with someone with whom you have a close personal relationship. If we reveal more about ourselves then, once again the impact is to enlarge the open quadrant. In terms of leadership of a team, the leader may want to think about the balance of what is known to the leader alone, and what is known by the leader and the team.
The last quadrant is the one that is unknown by self and unknown by others. This is the part that is yet to be discovered or maybe never discovered. It is the part for everyone’s learning. The is the place of potential. The size of this quadrant will vary for many reasons. For example, in a new project this quadrant is likely to be very large where as in a very long term relationship this quadrant is likely to be smaller.
This model can be used in many different ways. It is often useful to use to help someone understand what is happening in a relationship, or the development of a relationship or why problems are happening. For example if someone is joining a team and is not very forthcoming then the open quadrant is likely to be small and the hidden quadrant very large. It may be useful to use this model to help the person understand that they will find it easier to be more part of the team and accepted is they are a little more open.
As you can imagine if one quadrant gets bigger or smaller it effects all the other quadrants.
Luft and Ingham (1955

4. Johari Window Exercise 1
Known to self
Not known to self
Known to others
Open
Blind
Not known to others
Hidden
Unknown
If this was a profile of a client you were mentoring, what feedback would be give him or her? Think of a situation that you know about where there is a person who has this profile. How does this profile help them? How does this profile hinder them?
Luft and Ingham (1955

5. Johari Window Exercise 2
Known to self
Not known to self
Known to others
Open
Blind
Not known to others
Hidden
Unknown
If this was a profile of a client you were mentoring, what feedback would be give him or her? Think of a situation that you know about where there is a person who has this profile. How does this profile help them? How does this profile hinder them?
Luft and Ingham (1955

6. Johari Window Exercise 3
Known to self
Not known to self
Known to others
Open
Blind
Not known to others
Hidden
Unknown
If this was a profile of a client you were mentoring, what feedback would be give him or her? Think of a situation that you know about where there is a person who has this profile. How does this profile help them? How does this profile hinder them?
. Luft, J.; Ingham, H. (1955). "The Johari window, a graphic model of interpersonal awareness". Proceedings of the western training laboratory in group development (Los Angeles: UCLA).

7. Example answers Exercise 1 Exercise 2 Exercise 3 Feedback
Knows about self
Not a lot known by others
Small amount of self awareness and knowledge
A lot known by others
Others know about them
The purpose of this exercise was to get you to start to think about how different profiles in the Johari Window can have an impact on relationships and performance.

8. Mentor Johari Window Exercise
Think of a relationship in which you are finding not so easy at the moment.
Draw up a Johari Window that applies to you in the relationship
What insights has this given you
What action will you now take
In general, what type of person are you?
Are you open or do you prefer to keep things to yourself?
What impact will this have on your role as a mentor?
This exercise is to help you think about yourself and your role as a mentor

9. Possible uses in mentoring
To help highlight issues
To provide a background for questions to help develop the client
To help give feedback on results
To help inspire creative solutions
To enrich self awareness
To help enhance the mentor / client relationship
To help your own personal development
So what uses would the Johari window have in mentoring?

10. Batari’s Box My attitude My behaviour Your attitude Your behaviour
Another model that is useful to explain what happens in relationships is called Batari’s Box. This model is one that explains the impact of attitude or state or frame of mind on behaviour. If you are in a particular frame of mind then it will effect your attitude and that will directly effect your behaviour and then our behaviour tends to impact on other people we are relating to and then effects their behaviour. If this is producing unwanted results for a situation your client is in then, as a mentor, you will want to help your client change this cycle. This model can help to explain the dynamics and lead to questions that will help the client think about different approaches they can use. We talked about empowering your client in previous modules. Someone who is empowered will realise that in any situation like this, the person who changes is the one that has the most influence. So you will want to help your client think of different ways they can approach the situation. You cannot force other people to change, but you can change what you do. This model explains how we are all part of a system and if you change one part of the system the whole system has to change. If you change your attitude you will behave differently and that will create a change in the other person in some way because they are now not dealing with the same situation. So you changing will either mean that you will change your thinking about the other person’s behaviour so it is no longer a problem or you will approach it in a different way so that both of you can work out a way to resolve the issue.

11.  Batari’s Box exercise
Think of a situation that someone else is in where they are having difficulties in a relationship.
What is their attitude? What behaviour does that give way to?
What is the other person’s attitude in response?
What is their subsequent behaviour?
What questions could you ask the person to help them think of different ways of approaching the situation?
Here is an exercise to help you think about how you could use Batari’s Box.

12. References
Luft, J. and Ingham, H. (1955), The Johari window, a graphic model of interpersonal awareness. Proceedings of the western training laboratory in group development (Los Angeles: UCLA).

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Author
Jane Stubberfield
Institute
University of Plymouth
Title
Exploring relationships 1 – Johari Window and Bartari’s Box
Description
Presentation: Exploring relationships 1 – Johari Window and Bartari’s Box
Date Created
06/06/2011
Educational Level
7, Masters
Keywords
UKOER, LFWOER, UOPCPDLM, Mentoring, learning, development, coaching, training, advising, Johari’s Window, Bartari’s Box
©University of Plymouth, 2010, some rights reserved
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