Some of the groups I have been part of over the years have
caused me great relief when I have adjourned!
Those were the groups where the team didn’t ever reach a cohesive
state. I would guess we all have been
part of those groups.
One of the groups that was perhaps the hardest to adjourn
from was the team that I taught with in China.
When we went, we went through all the stages that we identified this
week. After we all got to know each
other and the intent of going to teach English while building relationships
with the Chinese, we were able to be a cohesive group of teachers. We experienced a special meal before we left
China, attended by university officials, where we were each given mementos. The staff shared how grateful they were for
our work there. As a closing ritual for
the mission team, we had a “debriefing” meeting privately before we came back
to the states, and shared all the incredible things that had taken place in our
lives, as we each had personal transformations occur.
I cannot believe how fast the last year has gone by. I imagine that the contacts I have made with
my colleagues will continue. I have
grown from each of your wisdom and support!
Adjourning is an essential part of teamwork because it
brings closure to the group and is sort of a wrap up phase to the group.
Hi Kristi,
ReplyDeleteI can imagine being away in a foreign land, amongst people who perceive and do things differently than you, away from the safety and security of your home country, it must not have been easy to build relationships. After all the effort in building new interpersonal relationship wherein you were able to confidently interact with each other, to disassemble would definitely have been hard for you. Are you able to keep in touch with any of your acquaintances from China? Yes, one year has certainly gone flying by and we are almost near to the end of our master’s program. I do wish to continue to keep in touch with my colleagues, to learn and grow through each other’s experiences.
Deepa,
DeleteI was able to keep in contact with some of my Chinese students for a year or so directly through e-mail or the postal service. Then my life got really busy and I did not communicate as often. One of the team mates still has contact with some of my students, so I hear from them through her.
Best wishes! It has been a great time working with you and may God bless you!
Kristi
Kristi
Hi Kristi,
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful experience to have. I hope that you were able to remain in contact with your team from China. I have enjoyed your insightful thoughts during our discussions and blogs, and I do hope that we can continue to inspire each other out our careers.
Luci
Hi Luci,
DeleteI have enjoyed getting to know you as well. Best wishes!
Kristi
Kristi, it sounds like you had a great experience with your team members in China. I also understand how some groups had you anxious to leave because of the turmoil within those groups. When you have the experience of belonging to a group that has done well, it can really be a life changing experience. I am glad you have had the opportunity to experience this.
ReplyDeleteKristi,
ReplyDeleteWhat an incredible life altering experience you had in China. Thank-you for sharing it with all of us! I could almost envision how wonderful that meal was for all of you!!
Sorry that you have experiences with some groups that you were unable to feel connected to. But it sure makes you appreciate the teams, groups colleagues that you feel that great sense of cohesion with.
Millie
Hi Kristi,
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing such a wonderful experience with us. I think that we have all had experiences within groups that did not adjourn well. My experience has been that those were the groups that did not complete the 5 stages of team development complletely. Those were the groups that never really got pass the storming stage.