Saturday, February 16, 2013

Closing Relationships


Closing relationships at the end of a project

            As I think about the groups of which I have been a part, those that were the hardest to leave were ones in which I developed a strong relationship.  These groups had a clear vision, communicated with each other ways in which to accomplish that vision, and trusted themselves and the other members of the group to complete the goal set forth (Learning Center, 2011).   Most of the groups in which I have participated have been ones that I have worked with for three or more years, such as teachers on grade level at a particular school or groups that I worked with while my husband was serving a church.  Some were easier to leave than others because now as I look back, there were some groups that never got past the storming stage (Adubi, 2010) (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 257).  In those groups I did not really establish a connection because I always felt that I was competing against others in the group instead of working as a team.  Finding common ground is a great way to begin moving from the storming stage to the norming stage.  Recognizing each person’s strength and allowing them to use their strength to solve a problem or work on a particular aspect of a project is another important element. 

            Each church that we left had a reception the Sunday before our departure.  For us, the reception was bittersweet.  I say this because in our situation while we were sad to leave the members of the church we were currently serving, we were excited about the new challenges we would face with a new church family.  The separations at the schools were a little more difficult because I did not always have a job waiting for me wherever our next church assignment was.  I was more hesitant to leave these schools because of the unknown.  Usually there were times for the grade level in which I worked to go out and celebrate the successes while I was a teacher there.

            This is the last of our general classes in our Master’s Degree program.  We will be taking different paths for our specialization; although, I get the sense that many will be continuing on with me in Administration, Management, and Leadership.  I am hoping that I will be able to continue to blog with some colleagues that I hold in high regard.  It will not be as difficult because we have not been able to meet each other face to face.  That is the one aspect I miss about not physically being in the classroom to read people’s body language, hear their voices for tone, and interpret their gestures and body movements (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012, p. 134-135).  For me, the connection is not as strong.  I will miss the intellectual stimulation however.  I will have to use the journals I read for that.

            Adjourning is an essential step because it gives the team an opportunity to evaluate what was accomplished and how it was accomplished (Abudi, 2010).  It validates the things that the team did well.  It also allows the team to determine changes that might need to occur should the team work together again.  Some groups disband before completing this important step.  They lose out on the insights gained by evaluating the project.

References

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages to team development: A case study.  Retrieved from


Learning Center. (2011). How to build a team using vision, commitment and trust. Retrieved

O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real Communication: An Introduction (2nd ed.). Boston, MA:

          
           Bedford/St. Martin’s.
 




 

3 comments:

  1. You bring up a good point that the adjourning stage gives time to reflect on things done well and which we want to bring to our next team experience, and the things that we want to avoid for next time. I have been a part of a couple teams where I was happy to run as fast as I could to separate myself from the poor experience. But in disbanding abruptly, I did not take away any feedback from the group on where we went wrong along the way, which means we really wasted our time in the end.

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    1. Carol,
      Good teams normally have a positive adjournment. I was at a party for our last group adjournment. The people were glad the project was over, and attitudes ran high. As a result, the party was not very pleasing. On the other hand, when the group is strong, the adjournment is very positive.

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  2. I agree that adjourning is a way to see what has been accomplished and how it was done. It is also a way to reflect on how things may be done different in the future to make things better. You have made some very good points in your blog. I enjoyed reading it. I want to wish you the best in your journey.

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