Not all groups make the adjourning process
difficult to do. However, I remember one
in particular that made me very sad when it ended and that was the planning of
my 5th year class reunion. I can
recall at the end of reunion everyone sharing stories of planning the reunion
and how everyone began to laugh at the various hurdles we endured throughout
the planning process. Although they were
not funny at the time, we were able to look back over them and laugh. The entire process took about a year to plan
and during that time we created new
memories that I had not realized until the last night of the reunion. We had begun to connect not only with each
other but with each other's families as well.
It was very difficult to tell my friends good-bye and watch them go back
to their individual worlds after staying on the phone until early mornings,
attending long planning sessions as we drank numerous cappuccinos, and
hours and hours of licking envelopes, making phone calls and searching the
web trying to contact over 300 hundred classmates.
I
feel that high-performing groups are hardest to leave because they represent
unity. Everyone on the team was
dedicated and motivated; thus, striving for a common goals. We had an awesome leader who promoted mutual
trust and respect. She shared her vision
for the reunion and was open to suggestions from all the team members. Everyone respected what the others had to say
and in the end we voted on any and all major decisions before they were
implemented.
At
the end of the reunion everyone exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses so
that they could stay in touch. Some of
us hugged, cried, and vowed to stay in touch as well as visit if we were ever in
each other's area. We also took photos to remind us of our time together.
I
imagine my adjournment from my colleagues will be very emotional for me,
because we have encouraged each other, shared our experiences and knowledge and
supported each other’s ability to learn, grow and develop both personally and
professionally. It is one thing to
express our inner thoughts on the discussion board or through our blog, but it
will be another to finally meet face-to-face at graduation. I look forward to meeting each and every one
of my colleagues so that I am finally be able to put a face with the
personality behind the words of articulation.
I think that adjourning is essential because of the need of
closure. The adjourning process gives
the members a chance to conduct an after action report so that they can discuss
what was effective and what was ineffective for future projects. This also gives them the opportunity to say
good-bye and wish each other well in their endeavors (Abudi, 2010).
Reference
Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case
study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html
