Week 6 Blog

Of the five stages of team development the adjourning stage is when the project is wrapping up and the members of the team begin to go in different directions (Abudi, 2010).  As I think back about projects that I was a part of and recall this part of the stages of team development I think about times that the team was a well-functioning team and times in which the team didn’t work so well together.  I would have to say it was the teams that worked well together and had high emotions involved that made it hardest to say good bye.  My greatest memory from a team that I became a part of was the preschool that I worked at in my hometown.  I had only been a part of the team for about a year.  During that year our director had left and I had become the acting director and one of our teachers also suffered a tremendous loss as she lost her first born during labor and delivery.   As I pulled the team together and kept everyone on track I had decided to interview for the Director position.  At the same time my husband had accepted a position that would end up relocating us to where we are today.  As I delivered the news to everyone in tears my team quickly began to plan my final day.  At the last staff meeting the surprised me with a final pot luck and a scrapbook.  The scrapbook was amazing it had pictures of my children, each teacher and their classroom, and well wishes from parents and teachers.  My last day there was filled with tears.  It was a wonderful bunch of ladies.

Adjourning is an essential part of teamwork as it gives closure.  As I end my journey and my pursuit to obtain my Masters I imagine that I will send out a very sincere thank you to everyone.  I think we have all learned so much from each other and our stories have inspired us all.

Abudi, G. (2010). The five stages of team development: A case study. Retrieved from http://www.projectsmart.co.uk/the-five-stages-of-team-development-a-case-study.html