Adjourning: An Essential Stage of Teamwork

Building a team of professional and dedicated early childhood educator can be hard. However, this week I learned it is doable. It is helpful that group members understand the dynamics of team development specially the fact that teams go through stages of forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2009).This understanding is crucial as it gives them the willingness to work through the challenges that come with each one stage.

I have been involved in groups that have been extremely efficient in getting projects done. These groups often had clear visions and established norms, the tasks were divided, and each member worked hard on their share of the projects. Those groups have been hard to leave because each time felt like I gained more confidence in my abilities to perform. On the contrary, I have joined groups that were so horrible especially those that involved team assignments in some of the courses I took. Social loafing (O'Hair & Wiemann, 2009), described as providing less efforts in group projects, is something I have experienced in these groups far too often. And, leaving those groups was easy because I did not see any possibility of building any type of relationships with the members especially those who did not participate.

This week, I learned the importance of formal group adjourning in celebrating successes and reflecting on projects. Adjourning can also give members the chance to stay in touch and possibly work on different projects in the future. Adjourning can be hard for me because I am a social butterfly. Additionally, I love to learn and especially to gain new perspectives. Consequently, I often experience boredom after adjourning my courses. Adjourning my master’s degree will be difficult not only because of the professional growth I have experience through this program but also I will miss the supportive relationships I have with my colleagues. I will definitely miss the intellectual stimulation and maybe I will enroll in a doctorate program.

Reference

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication: An introduction. Boston - New York: Bedford/ St. Martin's.