Adjourning Phase of Groups

The adjourning part of the group is the last step of a group. This is the time when things have come to an end and it is time to move on. In most cases, I have always felt the adjourning part awkward. Sometimes, I am relieved to be done and other times it is difficult and I just want the adjournment to be over.

There are many groups I have belonged to over the years. In my undergrad classes, there were several times that I participated in group projects. Sometimes, I felt sad to see it come to an end. The aspects that made it hard were the times that I formed a friendship with one or more members. I found the more productive the group was, the harder it was to say goodbye. When I was in a low performing group, it was a relief to adjourn.

Another group that comes to mind is when my children were younger and I was in the group of moms from my children's classrooms. I was involved in parties, going on field trips, and volunteering. Each year, we had to adjourn and I knew that I would not be part of this group again. The group would change. I got to know these moms and it was always difficult to adjourn. Sometimes, the goodbyes are awkward for me, so I do them quickly. Looking back now, it may have been a good idea to recognize the adjournment and go out to lunch and talk about our accomplishments and what we could have done differently. This would have helped each of us for the next year, whether we were working with the same people or not.

Soon, I will have to adjourn from my group of colleagues that I have worked with during my master's degree program. There are many colleagues who I feel close to and have been in most of the classes with. Although, we will no longer be colleagues, I imagine that I will correspond with several of my colleagues. I imagine this will be on facebook or through email.

I think adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork so your group can discuss the successes and also the challenges. This makes way for growth.