Experiencing the Adjourning Stage

There was time when I was involved as a program coordinator in an Easter program committee at my church. It was indeed a solid team in which we always ended a meeting with satisfaction no matter how hard debate we just had. Some of the committee members including me often continued with a hangout after the meeting and we brought our wives or husbands and children. We had such an attached relationship and it caused us felt so sad when we realized the program was over and the committee had to say goodbye. After the formal closing meeting, we continued with a hangout closing meeting with the members of the family. The funny thing, several weeks after our closing we went for a hangout again, and it became like a routine meeting almost every one or two weeks we gathered. We became a big family and often times among the children they made an appointment to meet and play together in one of our houses.

Learning about the stages of team development, I understand that such team had successfully developed, and the norms on how we shared information, the rules we set and the conflicts we resolved were naturally formed and flowed. That is why we did not realize we had come to an end as we were all satisfied, felt each positive contribution, and we wanted to work and work together again.

I always believe that a face-to-face relationship is much better, but what I experience through this online master’s degree program is unique. The group discussion in where we virtually address ideas, insights and possibly disagreements has made me feel as if I was sitting and talking with the members, especially when we have similar opinions, concerns and passions while we live far away from each other and have different cultures and backgrounds. So, when it is time to adjourn, we will feel that time flies, and yes, such feeling will usually appear at the last two weeks when we just start to go deeper.

I think adjourning is always the essential stage of a team work. When a team can reach this stage, everybody will feel satisfied and gain the most from the vision of the team.  Such experience will be really beneficial for an individual’s self esteem, confidence and experience for further team development with different people at different time. The more an individual experiences this stage, the better insights he or she has about how a team should be and work.      

                                                         

Reference

 

O’Hair, D. & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York:

Belford/St. Martin’s, Chapter 9, “Communicating in Groups” (pp. 256 - 258)