Schrand / Wilson The Four Rooms of Change

The Changing Formula
1. Auflage 2025
ISBN: 978-3-8192-1700-5
Verlag: BoD - Books on Demand
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 150 Seiten

The Four Rooms of Change - The Changing Formula A deep insight into Claes Janssens unique practical psychological change theory. Four Rooms is the Changing formula that has been used for decades by more than 100,000 people in a wide variety of cultures. We show how Four Rooms helps each individual and how it is possible to develop and embrace change jointly because Four Rooms engages the emotional level. Whether in a company or in a classroom, it makes it possible to work more smoothly together and to implement change collaboratively.It can be used by ALL

She holds a Ph.D. in philosophy. Her main interest is how individuals and social systems develop and how to increase the capability to change. As a Managing Director of CONTUR she developed CONTUR as a shareholder from the very beginning. Experiences in various HR Function incl. VP/HR Role or HR Director in different companies enriched her professional background. Her passion topic is Change & Transformation. As a Certified Global Program Leader for Janssen´s Model® she is working with the Theory since 2017 and acquired the partnership with Janssen´s Model® for CONTUR.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Schrand, Angelika

Wilson, Anna

Leseproben

2. The Theory: Practical Everyday Psychology

Dr. Angelika Schrand, Anna Wilson

2.1 The two approaches to life and their impact on our lives

Claes Janssen developed the Personal Dialectics Self-Test, which helps you discover your own preferences and where you are on the Dialectic Scale. In his theory development, Claes Janssen identifies the two poles that he calls Yes answerers and No answerers, which represent two approaches to life. The question we want to answer in this chapter: What does this mean? And how does it affect our life, our development and how we act in changing situations with ourselves and how we interact with others.

We will answer these central questions by following two purposes: One purpose is to show how the knowledge of the Four Rooms of Change Theory helps every one of us to increase our “Wellbeing Time”. It is demonstrated in this simple formula by Claes Janssen:

The second purpose is to improve the art of conversation between the two approaches to life. The Yes Answerer and the No Answerer, which represent two diametrically opposed ways of being, of perceiving oneself, others and society, in ourselves, in teams and in society.

Before we dive deeper into those two purposes, first of all we will further explain the term Personal Dialectics as a central component of Claes Janssens theory.

Personal Dialectics

The title Personal Dialectics refers to the tension between the NO and YES perspectives, which are two completely opposite ways of perceiving oneself, others and society.

The word dialectics means on the one hand:

The tension between opposites: the thesis, the antithesis and their possible synthesis.

As an inner conflict it can be experienced as a struggle between good judgement and force of initiative. It can appear as a conflict between the status quo and change and can be described as the conflict between independence, creativity, risk-taking and conformity, between the desire to be oneself and the wish to belong.

Claes Janssen simply called it he Yes/No conflict:

“We experience it daily as an inner conflict, in miniature, as the question: Shall I say what I think here and now, show how I feel, do what I want to do- or would it be wiser to censor myself”1

This conflict occurs

• between individuals, who in one another’s eyes embody the respective ways of being.
• in teams. It becomes visible because on the one hand, you have people who insist on following the rules, processes, and standards. On the other hand, you have people who want to innovate because they think it is more effective.
• in society, where it manifests as different opinions about how to be set up. One example is the discussion about how to deal with climate crisis: To become an activist and fight for more radical change and to focus on not changing too fast.

On the other hand, dialectics means the expression, the art of dialogue. It refers to the possibility of an art of dialogue between both perspectives.

The art of dialogue refers to the skillful and thoughtful exchange of ideas, thoughts, and feelings between two or more people. It is more than just talking, valuing different perspectives and being open to new ideas. It is about active listening, understanding, and responding in a way that fosters meaningful and productive communication.

The DIALECTIC SCALE – Tension between opposites

Tensions often arise between these two different perspectives on life, particularly if the people are pronounced Yes or No answerers.

We can illustrate the different perspectives on life on a bell curve (the dialectic scale).

NO

YES

Those on the left side of the scale respond NO often
Those on the right side respond YES often

With Personal Dialectics (the self-test consists of 24 questions) you can position yourself on the scale depending on how many questions you answered with yes. The position on the scale is not fixed and a normal distribution depending on the situation is given. And what is important:

Neither position on the scale is better or worse than the other. As we see on the bell curve, most people have both. It is important to be able to access both sides.

We need both: YES and NO pieces.

YES to find yourself and NO to function practically.

The intention is to have a high integration to reach your personal optimal point. The word integration means roughly the interplay between the separate parts of a whole. One example to illustrate when the No and Yes pieces are not aligned:

If you are in group of people, e.g. your friends, and you have the feeling, you have to wear a mask, you cannot be yourself and you do not show how you feel, you can sense an inner conflict. Your No pieces dominate in this situation, and you do not feel relaxed and content. You feel rather uncomfortable and blocked.

This indicates that you are according to the Matrix of Change of change in the Room of denial and according to the simple "wellbeing" formula, this increases the minus time.

Working with the Personal Dialectics helps to identify where you are on the dialectic scale and through deepening integration questions you can discover the fields in which you are able to (if you like) free yourself. This is an expression Claes Janssen often uses as a chance when using the theory.

To work with the theory also changes the perception and increases the ability to Agree on your Disagreements.

2.2 The Matrix of Disagreements

As described in the former chapter, the further step of the development of the theory is the Matrix of Disagreement. The position on the Outsider Scale has not only an impact on us but also on how we deal with others. The following matrix is composed of key words which are typically used when Yes answerers and No answerers describe themselves and each other.

Matrix of Disagreements

NO

+ (no about no)

YES + (yes about yes)

?

realistic

? independent

?

calm, strong, confident

? sensitive, imaginative,

?

stable, reliable

? artistic

?

practical, sensible, matter of fact

? a seeker, open to change

?

friendly, cooperative

? courageous, wants challenge

?

takes it easy

? non-conforming, radical

? open honest, spontaneous

? creative

NO-

(yes about no)

YES- (no about yes)

?

controlled

? eccentric

?

conventional,

? unrealistic, a dreamer, out

?

shallow, hypocritical

of touch with reality

?

boring, stiff

? a loner

?

afraid of change

? selfish, self-centered

?

could not in touch with feelings

? a troublemaker, pain in the ass

?

authoritarian

? moody, uncertain, lacks

?

mechanical, robotic, unreal

self confidence

?

cynical

? lost, drifting

? bleeding hearts

The matrix somewhat exaggerates the contrasts and underlines the tendency to see one another in a negative light.

This tendency to see each other´s negative traits can be interpreted as a natural form of self-defense. It may also be rooted in what is referred to in psychological terms as projection. Projection is when we attribute the emotions and qualities that we ourselves possess to others but that we are unaware of or even afraid to acknowledge.

It is likely that we construct the image of the other on emotions that we have personally experienced. In other words, NO respondents, when they have leaned towards YES, have felt alone, confused and so on- and the YES respondents, when they have leaned towards NO, have experienced rigidness, insensitivity and superficialness.

These perceptions of others and the associated reluctance to admit one's own attributes do not infrequently lead to conflicts in social relationships, from families to professional teams.

Examples in the corporate context demonstrate this clearly: People who are on the Yes answerer side of the Personal Dialectic Scale are often creative and want to implement their ideas, even at the risk of changing rules and habits they don´t adapt. Very much to the displeasure of others, for whom this is more important.

People who do not jump on the changes are considered resistance fighters. For them stability, certainty and belonging are...