Team Building and Collaboration

 

This week we read about the five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Considering the adjourning phase for several of the groups in which I have been involved, I  think the aspect of the groups that made for the hardest good-bye was really getting to know one another, sharing, and caring during the adjourning stage.  The groups that I participated in that meant the most to me was my Parole Officer Training group.  We truly went through all five stages during the seven weeks of training that we were together.  This was a group of 23 adults that were changing jobs, left behind children and husbands at a chance for a new career and to make a difference in our communities. Some of my teammates had their mothers pass away while we were at camp.  Others left behind sick relatives (one teammate left a mother that was suffering from cancer).  Four of my teammates were involved in auto accidents while at training camp. We truly shared our ups and downs, prayed together formed study groups, laughed and cried together. This was the hardest group to ever leave. We try to instant message one another at least once every two weeks if not more. I think adjourning  is an essential stage of teamwork because adourning is the connecting face.  As teammates, to better understand and respect one another, you must connect/adjourn to one another.