Five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning.

Thinking about which aspects of the groups made for the hardest good-bye.

The Bible Study was difficult to leave, I knew this was the right thing to do and I knew that there would be another study coming up in the next season.  The adjourning was not so difficult for this reason.

Leaving Africa was different, I did not get to tell my African friends “goodbye”, my supervisor told the Africans I would return.  It was difficult to leave the students, we were close; Jonathan would come to my house to do his homework after class was over.  The little ones came over to play in my yard; we were together in some capacity almost every day besides class. When I told them that I was leaving for the USA, Elizabeth cried, Jonathan hung his head and would not talk.  The little ones did not know how to respond.  

Are high-performing groups hardest to leave?

I would say that this was high preforming group in my life.  The students did not understand how sick I was; I never told them or took any time off from teaching.

Groups with the clearest established norms?

The mission I was working with was divided into teams by the country in which they worked.  When joining this mission the understanding was that, you are a team member following the guidelines that had been established.  Everyone joining the team went through training, orientation, language training, and in country orientation.

Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why? 

Africa was the hardest, I knew I was not coming back and I knew I was sick but did not know it was life threatening.  I consider the work I did in Africa was team because we all had to work together, with one purpose.  As a teacher, I was a support person.  For one person, this did not make me a missionary but if I were not there to teach her children, she would have had to teach them or just let their education slide, which is what was happening.  My organization objected to her saying that I was not a missionary; my assumption is that she was not a good team member. 

 What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced?

The closing of my time in Africa came quickly.  There was an opportunity for me to travel from the village I lived in to the capital city and it was decided that this was the time.  The family I was going with came to my house, gave me a minute to tell my guard and his wife goodbye, got in the vehicle for a thirteen-hour drive.  Two days later, I flew to the USA.

I wanted time to tell my other African friends goodbye and try to explain to them that I was going home. 

I was told later that they all were told that I would be back in a year, knowing that was not true. I wanted to have time to give them gifts to remember me.  Gifts were the proper parting courtesy in that village. 

How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master’s degree in this program? 

This is difficult because the class I started with is two classes ahead of me. I had to drop out for two sessions. This was due to my having hip surgery and recovery. I have enjoyed working with this group of ladies for the last three classes.  I have learned so many new and refreshing ideas for this group.  I hope that we all finish together as I have only three more classes but do not know where others are in their educational journey. I know that I am a better person for having taking these classes.  I have waited for many years to work on my Master’s Degree. I think that I will miss the contact with the other students. Because this is on line learning, there will not be any going out to dinner or any of the other ways that are done for adjourning.   Adjourning is moving from one place to another, that is the purpose of this journey.  It will end and we all will move on in our lives.

Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

 Adjourning is a form of closure.  At times, it will be ending association having finished the project and at other times, it is a closure of the project and going forth to another.  This has great meaning for the individuals; the team separates at least for a time.  This will have a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.  For those who will be separating after finishing a project and moving on to another place, it can be satisfaction but also a sense of sadness.  When a team has worked together, going through the process of forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning separating can be stressful.  I would assume the adjourning would be more difficult if the project is long and involved than it is when the project is a short time.

Since I have been out of work, I have not had opportunities to be involved with team work so I have to look back to earlier times.  Recovery from surgery has been long, then the process of searching for a job as the preschool where I was teaching closed, then waiting for the school to finish construction.  Now Monday the process starts and I get to go back to work, “playing with the children in a learning setting”.

References:      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