As with all of the assignments for this class, first make sure to thoroughly review the required background materials. Make sure you fully understand the concepts of the Johari Window as well as Transactional Analysis. You need to have a solid understanding of these important concepts in order to successfully complete this assignment.
We will once again be applying the concepts from this module to your own experiences as a way of finding potential ways to develop your leadership skills. For this assignment, choose a current or former supervisor or subordinate and think carefully about how the concepts from the Johari Window and Transactional Analysis applies to this current or previous supervisor/subordinate relationship. Think carefully about the flow of information and communication between the two of you, and also times when either of you behaved as “adults,” “parents,” or “children” in your dealings with each other. Don’t worry, this assignment will be purely between you and your instructor so feel free to be as honest and self-reflective as you can.
More specifically, write a 4- to 5-page paper answering the following questions below. Make sure to cite at least one of the required readings in each answer, and to cite at least three sources total from the background readings in your paper:
- Using a Johari Window analysis, what do you think some of your supervisor’s or subordinate’s blind spots are? What do you think some of your potential blind spots might be?
- Also using a Johari Window analysis, what kind of hidden spots did you keep between you and your supervisor or subordinate? Did you suspect your supervisor or subordinate of having hidden spots?
- Based on your answers to Questions 1 and 2 above as well as the required readings, how might Johari Window analysis be used to improve this supervisor/subordinate relationship that you wrote about in the above two answers?
- Using Transactional Analysis, give some specific examples of when you and your supervisor or subordinate acted like “parents,” “children,” or “adults.” And be honest—we all act like “children” sometimes in the workplace.
- Based on your answer to Question 4 and the required readings, how do you think this supervisor/subordinate relationship might have been improved using Transactional Analysis?
Assignment Expectations
- Follow the assignment instructions closely and follow all steps listed in the instructions
- Stay focused on the precise assignment questions, don’t go off on tangents or devote a lot of space to summarizing general background materials
- List supporting references and cite sources in proper format
- Use appropriate writing style in essay form (organization, grammar, and spelling).
Required Material
A good place to start are these two videos that explain the basic concepts of the Johari Window and Transactional Analysis along with some applications to leadership:
Chapter 8 – Individual Frameworks (Johari Window Section) from The Power of the 2X2 Matrix: Using 2X2 Thinking to Solve Business Problems and Make Better Decisions (from Books 24X7). Available in the Trident Online Library.
Lowy, A., & Hood, P. (2004). The power of the 2 x 2 matrix: using 2 x 2 thinking to solve business problems and make better decisions. [Books24x7 version]. Available in the Trident Online Library.
Brown, D. (2014). Understanding transactional analysis to communicate. [Books24x7 version]. Available in the Trident Online Library.
Keep in mind that the concepts and applications of the Johari Window and Transactional Analysis are relatively difficult. So in addition to the videos, make sure to go through the following readings. Most of these readings are relatively short, so make sure to go through all of them before starting on your assignments:
Taylor, R. (2013). Confidence at work: Get it, feel it, keep it, 2nd edition. [Books24x7 version.] Available in the Trident Online Library. (Note: To access this book, from the Portal page, click ADDITIONAL LIBRARY RESOURCES. Scroll and click Skillsoft Books (BusinessPro and ITPro). Paste the book title into the search box, and click “GO.”)
Chapman, A. (2003). Johari window. Retrieved from https://apps.cfli.wisc.edu/johari/support/JohariExplainChapman2003.pdf
For those of you who are still a bit unclear on some of the concepts or want to brush up a bit more, some of the optional material below includes a couple of additional videos. There is also another book chapter which is a little longer than some of the other readings but explains the Johari Window in fairly simple and clear terms.
If you and a group of friends or coworkers want to try to find out what your Johari Windows looks like, there is a link to a popular Johari Window Interactive tool below.
