The Four Rooms of Change tools

»The Four room Apartment« is colloquial for the theory of the Four Rooms of Change. It originates from the Swedish psychologist Claes Janssen's, Ph. D., groundbreaking research on individual and collective defenses in the late sixties and early seventies.

The Four Rooms of Change is a theory that deals with change, with what happens with people and organizations in change and transition and how they can influence their own and others change processes. A number of practical and psychological tools have been developed to support people and their organizations to use the theory.

Since 1993 A&L Partners have worked together with Janssen to develop and customize the tools for use in most all kinds of social settings, with a special focus on working life.

How to use the Four Room Apartment

The tools can be used on every level within any organization in all cultures. They can be used

• individually
• with project groups
• work teams
• in management teams
• throughout the entire organization

By using the tools it's possible to identify serious issues and to find ways of handling them. It is also possible to measure the climate for change with the organization. It creates a common language for addressing such matters within the entity using the tools. The tools can be used to support organizational development strategies as well as when working with team development, crisis management or climate survey in the organization.

Quotes

»A good alternative to those who comes delivering pre-packaged solutions. Here we work the stuff through, altogether in real time.«

»Guides us to good common dialogue with the group. People start to recognize themselves in the theory and tools, especially since most uses starts in some kind of 'chaos.' Everybody, almost without exception, gets involved in whatever change process they happen to be in or decide to initiate. Very business savvy. Easy to evoke discussions after several months. It gets to people and they build a common language and point of reference.«

Books

The following books are written by Claes Janssen and published in Swedish:

• Forandrigens fyra rum (The Four Rooms of Change)
• Skratta med Gud (Laughing with God)
• Försvar för Djävulen (In Defense of the Devil)
• Personlig dialektik (Personal Dialectics)

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