Wednesday, October 8, 2014
The Adjourning Phase
Several groups that I have had the opportunity to be involved have a bittersweet aftermath when it comes to adjourning. The majority of my classmates that were within my major when I was completing my B.S, had accomplished success in umany projects together including the full operations of a mentoring program with a neighboring inner city high school and fashion shows for inner city youth. One of the hardest parts about saying goodbye upon graduation was knowing that many of the friendships I had made and people I had seen on a daily basis would be lessened. Fortunately, I was able to maintain many of the friendships that I had made, and continue to do so today. "Members may also opt yo maintain friendships even if they will no longer be working together. " (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012 p.258) I think that high performance groups are definitely harder to leave as the positive cohesion of the group, and efficiency in accomplishment can create a comfortable climate, in which the group members may feel wary about leaving such a functional group. "Cohesion is a important factor in generating a positive group temperament or climate in which members take pride in the group, treat each other with respect, feel confident about their abilities and achieve higher success in accomplishing goals." (O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012 p.269) The Closing rituals I have been a part of include, graduations, dinners, and even parties that were celebratory towards the successful end of an endeavor. I would imagine the adjourning of this particular group of collegues to end via our blogs due to the online capacity of this school. However, I would like to think that I may meet some of my fellow collegues during the final graduation ceremony for those who are in the same state as me, and would be a perfect finish to the program.
The aspect of adjourning provides an opportunity for closure and the ability for the group to be able to reflect on positive accompliments, or mishaps that may have occurred. Although bittersweet, it gives everyone in the group to be positive in their reflections, as well as their own contributions that had been made to the group.
References
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
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Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed going to graduation during undergrad. It gave me a chance to meet people face-to-face that I had only known through the computer. That is great that you have known some classmates since undergrad. I am sure they are great support! I completely agree. Adjourning allows us to have closure. In all groups, its good to know what worked and what didn't. Do you think that there could be opportunities for negative feelings to come out during adjourning? I remember a couple times during the adjourning phase where some people took the opportunity to tell others what they did not like about them during the time the group was together. I suppose that could be a form of closure as well.
Your post made me think about the differences in my classes as a teacher. I have taught child care preschool classes for 12 years. In my last year I taught a state funded preschool class. The class maintained the same 16 children all year. It was so much easier to build a sense of community between the children and the teachers than it is in a child care setting where the students are always changing ( moving between classrooms, new enrollments, and different parent schedules). It was also easier to assess the achievements of individual children because we had an official beginning date and ending date of the school year. For the first time ever we had a graduation party to celebrate the achievements of the group and I felt there was closure with a group of children. I had never felt like I had this with other classes because it is a continuous revolving door.
ReplyDeleteYou made a great point about maintaining friendships outside of the group project. I have been able to keep some friendships that formed from group projects in undergrad, as well as from the jobs I worked in the past. I am grateful to have been able to keep those bonds beyond group projects/work because they are great and amazing people. Adjourning is a stage of reflection and closure, which is necessary to learn from and move on. Great blog and insights:-)
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