When business communication is effective, it improves relationships and understanding. Intellectual capital is your organizations asset, although measuring it is widely unused, there are few tools like the Johari window.
Giving insight into what is known and unknown is where the four quadrants of the Johari window come into play, it gives insight in what you know and do not know you know, picture a window frame with four quadrants:
- Top left Johari Window quadrant, the Arena quadrant: contains the information that is KNOWN to self and KNOWN to others
- Top right Johari Window quadrant, the Blind Spot quadrant: contains the information that is UNKNOWN to self BUT ONLY known to others
- Bottom left Johari Window quadrant, the Facade quadrant: contains the information that is KNOWN to self BUT UNKNOWN to others
- Bottom right Johari Window quadrant, the Unknown quadrant: contains the information that is UNKNOWN to self AND UNKNOWN to others
You want your KNOWN quadrants to be the largest in the window, and continuously scan what UNKNOWNS need to be uncovered and addressed and shrink those quadrants.
External conflict with customers, prospective clients and vendors can lead to lost business and to maintain relationships and to be able to successfully create a corporate collaboration platform, you have to communicate your ideas of organizational improvement.
You want to be able to ensure your blind spots, your black swans, your unknown unknowns become known to you and your stakeholders.
Conflict is inevitable in teams because teams, by definition are made of members with a variety of communication skills and relationships. However, the more expert communicators you have on your team, the more potential you have to build trust in your organizational improvement.
Keeping your Johari Window on your organizational improvement project in the front of your mind gives you the ability to stimulate potential and be a leader that develops stronger teams by improving communication. Once you can recognize your unknown unknowns and manage your own you will be able to start to recognize others in your area as well.
You do now know what you do not know, uncovering unknown risks and opportunities gives profound results, and of course the only way to uncover unknowns is by asking questions, a lot of questions – it is what great leaders know instinctively to do.