REFINING ORGANISATIONAL COMMITMENT AND EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH THE JOHARI WINDOW MODEL: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW

Authors

  • Ajayi Olalekan Ezekiel Department of Business and Entrepreneurship, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria
  • Kamoru Lanre Akanbi Department of Business and Entrepreneurship, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria
  • Muhammad Taofeek Olowookere Department of Industrial Relations and Personnel Management, University of Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria
  • Ajirowo Wasiu Olumuyiwa Department of Business and Entrepreneurship, Kwara State University, Malete, Nigeria

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46273/jobe.v14i1.520

Keywords:

employee commitment, HRM, Johari Window, organizational effectiveness, self-awareness

Abstract

Organizations are increasingly challenged with promoting employee commitment and sustainable effectiveness due to poor communication, low interpersonal trust, and deficient employee self-awareness. These issues are usually exacerbated with a rigid organizational culture that stifles openness and constructive feedback. This conceptual paper discusses the Johari Window model as a strategic instrument for solving these organizational challenges. The study, based on a broad spectrum of recent research, discusses how self-awareness, feedback mechanisms, and interpersonal dynamics, fundamental pillars of the Johari Window, would affect human resources management. The research based on the review indicates that the Johari Window ensures employee commitment by enhancing self-awareness and formal feedback, which deepens affective and normative organizational bonds. The model also ensures organizational effectiveness by enhancing interpersonal trust and improving communication, collaboration, and team cohesion. It also has practical applications for HR practices, for example, onboarding, leadership development, and performance management. The research concluded that implementing the Johari Window within organizational culture greatly improves employee engagement and organizational performance. It thus recommends that organizations embed feedback culture, embed the model in leadership development, and create psychological safety for long-term success.

References

Argyris, C., & Schön, D. A. (1978). Organizational Learning: A Theory of Action Perspective. Addison-Wesley.

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.

Bass, B. M. (1990). Bass & Stogdill’s Handbook of Leadership: Theory, Research, and Managerial Applications. Free Press.

Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. Sage Publications.

Bennett, A. A., Campion, E. D., Keeler, K. R., & Keener, S. K. (2021). Videoconference fatigue? Exploring changes in fatigue after videoconference meetings during COVID-19. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(3), 330–344. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000887

Brower, H. H., Lester, S. W., Korsgaard, M. A., & Dineen, B. R. (2009). A closer look at trust between managers and subordinates: Understanding the effects of both trusting and being trusted on subordinate outcomes. Journal of Management, 35(2), 327–347. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307312511

Colquitt, J. A., Scott, B. A., & LePine, J. A. (2007). Trust, trustworthiness, and trust propensity: A meta-analytic test of their unique relationships with trust in teams. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), 909–927. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0021-9010.92.4.909

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2020). Self-determination theory: Basic psychological needs in motivation, development, and wellness. Guilford Press. https://doi.org/10.7202/1041847ar

Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2002). Trust in leadership: Meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(4), 611–628. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/0021-9010.87.4.611

Edmondson, A. C. (2019). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. Wiley.

Edmondson, A. C., & Lei, Z. (2019). Psychological safety: The history, renaissance, and future of an interpersonal construct. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 6, 23–43. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091305

Farndale, E., Thite, M., Budhwar, P., & Kwon, B. (2021). Deglobalization and talent sourcing. Penn State University Libraries Scholarsphere. https://scholarsphere.psu.edu/resources/8d8c92a3-cf39-499f-b9ee-24f51eafc8b4. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.22038

Ferrin, D. L., & Dirks, K. T. (2003). The role of trust in organisational settings. Organisation Science, 14(1), 23–40. https://doi.org/10.1287/orsc.12.4.450.10640

Gašić, V., Bojanić, M., & Savić, M. (2024). Employee commitment and organisational performance: A strategic review. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 14(1), 43–56.

Gillespie, N., & Mann, L. (2004). Transformational leadership and shared values: the building blocks of trust. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 19(6), 588–607.

https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940410551507

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R. E., & McKee, A. (2019). Primal leadership: Unleashing the power of emotional intelligence. Harvard Business Press.

Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2019). Primal Leadership: Unleashing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Harvard Business Review Press.

Helfrich, C. D., Li, Y. F., Sharp, N. D., & Sales, A. E. (2019). The role of feedback in improving care processes and outcomes. Implementation Science, 14(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/1748-5908-4-38

Irawati, N., Sari, A., & Lubis, B. (2024). A review of the Johari window theory as a grand theory of human resource competence. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7, e2024002. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2024002

Jehn, K. A., & Mannix, E. A. (2001). The dynamic nature of conflict: A longitudinal study of intragroup conflict and group performance. Academy of Management Journal, 44(2), 238–251. https://doi.org/10.2307/3069453

Kegan, R., & Lahey, L. L. (2016). An everyone culture: Becoming a deliberately developmental organization. Harvard Business Review Press.

Klein, H. J., Cooper, J. T., Molloy, J. C., & Swanson, J. A. (2021). The commitment–performance relationship: A meta-analytic examination and extension. Journal of Applied Psychology, 106(5), 723–749. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/a0034751

Kotter, J. P. (1996). Leading change. Harvard Business Press.

Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. Wiley.

Lee, J., Kim, W., & Kim, S. (2020). The effects of feedback orientation on employee engagement and organizational commitment: The mediating role of motivation. Journal of Business and Psychology, 35(3), 389-404.

Luft, J., & Ingham, H. (1955). The Johari Window: A Graphic Model of Interpersonal Awareness. University of California, Los Angeles.

Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709–734. https://doi.org/10.2307/258792

Mone, E. M., & London, M. (2018). Employee engagement through effective performance management: A practical guide for managers. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315626529

Morgan, R. M., & Hunt, S. D. (1994). The commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58(3), 20–38. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252308

Nembhard, I. M., & Edmondson, A. C. (2006). Making it safe: The effects of leader inclusiveness and professional status on psychological safety and improvement efforts in health care teams. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27(7), 941–966. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.413

Nora, L. (2019). Trust, commitment, and customer knowledge: Clarifying relational commitments and linking them to repurchasing intentions. Management Decision, 57(11), 3134–3158. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-10-2017-0923

Saks, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600–617. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940610690169

Saks, A. M., Gruman, J. A., & Zhang, Q. (2022). Organization engagement: a review and comparison to job engagement. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 9(1), 20–49. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-12-2020-0253

Sari, A. (2023). A review of the Johari Window theory as a grand theory of human resource competence. Multidisciplinary Reviews, 7. https://doi.org/10.31893/multirev.2024002

Silva, D. B. d. S., Becerra, C. E. T., Feitosa, A. D., Albuquerque, A. P. G. d., Melo, F. J. C. d., & Medeiros, D. D. d. (2025). Evaluating the Leader’s Profile from the Team Members’ Perspective: A Case Study Applying Johari’s Window. Standards, 5(1), 5. https://doi.org/10.3390/standards5010005

Simons, T. (2002). Behavioral integrity as a critical ingredient for transformational leadership. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 15(4), 340–351. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534819910263640

Soekotjo, S., Sosidah, Kuswanto, H., Setyadi, A., & Pawirosumarto, S. (2025). A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Human Resource Management: Integrating Ecological and Inclusive Perspectives. Sustainability, 17(3), 1241. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17031241

Spennemann, D. H. R. (2023). The Usefulness of the Johari Window for the Cultural Heritage Planning Process. Heritage, 6(1), 724–741. https://doi.org/10.3390/heritage6010039

Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). Psychological empowerment in the workplace: Dimensions, measurement, and validation. Academy of Management Journal, 38(5), 1442–1465. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199734610.001.0001

Spreitzer, G. M., & Cameron, K. S. (2021). The Oxford Handbook of Positive Organizational Scholarship. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199734610.001.0001

Tucker, A. L., Nembhard, I. M., & Edmondson, A. C. (2007). Implementing new practices: An empirical study of organizational learning in hospital intensive care units. Management Science, 53(6), 899–913. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1060.0692

Ulrich, D., Brockbank, W., Johnson, D., Sandholtz, K., & Younger, J. (2021). HR Competencies: Mastery at the Intersection of People and Business. NHRD Network Journal, 3(4), 103–104. https://doi.org/10.1177/0974173920100422

Downloads

Published

2026-05-06

How to Cite

REFINING ORGANISATIONAL COMMITMENT AND EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH THE JOHARI WINDOW MODEL: A CONCEPTUAL REVIEW (A. O. Ezekiel, K. L. Akanbi, M. T. Olowookere, & A. W. Olumuyiwa , Trans.). (2026). Journal of Business And Entrepreneurship, 14(1), 14-27. https://doi.org/10.46273/jobe.v14i1.520