“The Four Rooms has been part of Mo Gårds Folkhögskola’s development journey,” says Carina Boman, the school’s CEO and principal. “Both leaders and employees have grown”.
Carina Boman is the CEO and principal of Mo Gårds Folkhögskola, where all teaching is conducted in sign language. The school has four locations in Sweden: Örebro, Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Åkarp. Boman talks enthusiastically about the development journey that has made the schools more efficient and created happy, thriving employees. Both leaders and employees have grown. One operation has been closed down, and a new one has been established. Problems and conflicts have been addressed. Last but not least, Carina highlights her own development, which has included several major changes.
On December 14, I called Carina Boman to talk to her about the Four Rooms of Change.
Carina Boman recounts
One early spring morning in 2016, I took the train to Stockholm with my assistant principal. This trip marked the beginning of a journey that brought change and development on many levels, both in my business and personally. The challenges at that time were mainly:
- A new management organization had been tried out for a year and received mostly positive feedback.
- There was a need for greater consensus within and between the operations of the four locations.
- There were also issues that needed to be addressed.
- We needed to create an action plan and determine who would be responsible for each task.
- The new AFS arrived in 2015 with specific requirements for the organizational and social work environment.
We began with a one-day workshop at A&L Partners AB in Stockholm, where we experimented with two tools: Introduction to the Four Rooms and The Organizational Barometer.
I discovered that the Four Rooms engaged all participants in the process. Unlike a traditional lecture, we were directly involved and created the four rooms ourselves based on our life experiences.
Subsequently, mapping our own organization using the Organizational Barometer confirmed and clarified the situation in the business for my assistant principal and me. The Four Rooms perspective provided extra clarity and insight into what really needed to be addressed. We continued our analysis on the train ride back, and by the time we arrived home, we had an almost complete action plan that led us to where we are today.
After the workshop, I contacted Eva Widegren at A&L Partners AB to discuss my idea. Since I manage operations remotely, I saw the value in bringing all the units together for a joint kickoff. It was essential to involve everyone. All employees at the four units would get to do what I had tried in the workshop, but now with plenty of time for dialogue. In August 2016, we met for three days at a conference hotel in Skåne.
We made sure the staff knew what they were participating in, and we actively participated in leading the sessions with Eva Widegren. As is customary in the Four Rooms process, the manager works closely with the consultant.
The four rooms—Contentment, Censorship, Confusion, and Inspiration—become a common language for all employees involved in creating Fyrarummaren. This creates a helpful platform for communication and an understanding of what the different psychological states mean. In our various social contexts, both at work and in our private lives, we always find ourselves in one of these rooms. Following the introduction, the Organizational Barometer measures how the work group is doing and functioning based on the four psychological rooms. The Organizational Barometer also clarifies how to increase satisfaction and inspiration in the work group and reduce censorship and confusion.
This leads to action plans with personal commitments. This process is very problem-solving oriented and usually becomes concrete. We decided to follow up on the action plans we developed during our time together at the various units’ monthly workplace meetings.
Carina continues
Our agreement with Eva Widegren included a follow-up with a new Organizational Barometer after one year. After some time had passed, Eva contacted me and asked how things were going. During that conversation, she asked if I would consider becoming certified. It was a good question. In January 2017, I began my certification in The Four Rooms of Change. Now, I could follow up on the results myself and implement the working method in my business without consulting support. The certification year included close support and continuous guidance from the certification management. My mentor was Eva Widegren, who already knew me and my business.
An open climate, participation, and influence are important to Carina. “The Four Rooms of Change has done a lot to create a feeling of being one folk high school, even though we are located in four different places,” she says.
We’ve had a few open conflicts here in recent years. The Four Rooms has provided invaluable support in finding solutions. First, we had individual conversations to understand why the parties were dissatisfied or angry. Then, we were able to coach the employees, and the situation resulted in something positive for everyone.
Today, the magnetic board with the four rooms is available at all units. Each day begins with everyone checking in at the morning meeting. This makes it easier to leave behind any issues that may have occurred in the staff room when it’s time to start working. It’s a great tool that ensures a good workday while fostering team spirit and building secure relationships. This also applies to me as a manager and leader — I keep track of which room I am in.
We have successfully integrated the Four Rooms model into our systematic work environment efforts at the school. Now, our employees can easily handle most things on their own. If there is a problem, they notice it early and address it immediately.
For example,
One employee in a work group was not functioning well, and we received signals about this. We then used the Personal Dialectic tool with that group. Dialectic is a Four Rooms model tool that goes deeper and is more personal. It turned out that there were major differences in the group. However, with the help of dialectic, acceptance and understanding of each other emerged, and the conflict was resolved.
Work is underway to enable all employees to use Personal Dialectics.
We measure the Organizational Barometer at least once a year, and everyone is familiar with it.
Today, I also run my own business, Bomans samarbetskonst AB, alongside the school.
I am happy and grateful because the Four Rooms have changed my life. Using the Four Rooms of Change in my everyday life at school and now as a consultant in other businesses is meaningful, exciting, and interesting.
Told to Helena Yli-Koski.
The Four Rooms of Change® is a registered trademark in Sweden and many other parts of the world. This means that only certified users can use the various trademarks, as well as the texts, concepts, analytical tools, and models developed within the framework of the theory. Learn more about the rights to use the Four Rooms of Change.