One
of the aspects that make saying good-bye in projects difficult is the
relationships I have built with the other team members. Granted, we do keep in touch but it is
not the constant communication I was used to during the project. With my busy life, it is hard for me to
keep in touch with people I am not immediately working with. For example last year I was able to
establish professional connections and friendships with people in advocacy
project. We were passionate about
the vision and our work. It was
hard saying goodbye after the project was over especially after seeing our
results. It was wonderful to see
how many people supported early childhood education and made it known to our
state legislators.
When
I left my previous job, it was also hard to say goodbye to everyone because of
the relationships I had built with my coworkers. It was hard to leave them and the children I taught, but it
was easy to leave the company I was working for because we did not share the
same vision. My coworkers threw me
a party and parents gave me goodbye presents. It was emotional for me and I am still able to keep in touch
with some of them. But again it is
hard since I do not see them or work with them on a regular basis.
In
my experience, high performing groups are the hardest to leave. I am driven by results and I love it
when people can work together to accomplish results. It is the bond and drive that I miss when working by myself
or in groups that lack this. High
performing groups usually have clear goals, roles, and trust. With these factors, the group can work
together to accomplish anything. It
is hard to leave this type of atmosphere and group work.
Most
of the closing rituals I have experienced are parties/celebrations. Everyone gets together and celebrates
the project and team members on such a good job. I feel this is important so everyone can congratulate each
other on a good job and enjoy being together one last time. I believe this is why adjourning is
essential to the group. It is a
way to let everyone know that they are appreciated and the joy it was working
with everyone.
I
imagine adjourning from the group of colleagues I have formed while working on
my degree by exchanging contact information. This way we can keep in touch in the future. I have already done this with a few of
my colleagues. Another way to
adjourn would be meeting up at graduation. Hopefully I will be able to see some and meet them face-to-face
during our commencement ceremonies.
Myra,
ReplyDeleteYou were so correct in your blog, when you discussed the importance of working in high performing groups. I have experienced both good performing and none performing groups. I noticed what we lacked in none performing groups was a lack of respect for one another. When working in groups or on teams, it is important to establish and maintain respectful and empathetic camaraderie with each member; although some people do not share the same views, it is still very important to show respect. According to O’Hair and Wiemann (2012), responding and respecting others through positive interactions help one to build effective relationships.
I have also left a job, because the administration and I did not share the same vision and passion. It is often hard to leave the loving co-workers and children behind. I experienced this loss a few months ago, and there was no adjourning involved. This proved that the administration was not effective in this stage of team building. Thanks for sharing your response.
Lah-Lah
References
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.