Group Good-Byes

Think about which aspects of the groups made for the hardest good-bye. Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? Groups with the clearest established norms? 

Aspects that make it for the hardest good-byes are the relationships that have either grown or newly developed. 

For example I just finished a huge event with a group of ladies. I only knew one of them really well and the other two I got to bond with on a new level. This was a high performing group and while if we were to never see each other again or not see each other as often, it would have definitely been hard to say goodbye. However, I see these ladies every Sunday and at a number of events, so we didn't have to say good-bye. 

Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why?

The team I went to Europe with in high school was the hardest to leave. I still think about them and how great of time we had. I miss them the most and it was hard to say good-bye. It could have been due to the fact that we were so young and had never traveled out of the country that long of time of without our parents. We had to learn to be independent and solve issues on our own. We created memories that will last a lifetime and did some very adventurous team building exercising. 

What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced? 

I have not experienced closing rituals. However, I am apart of another group, well an internship. There are a total of 40 of us and we have all grown extremely close. When we end a meeting, our huddle/touchdown we always close with our saying of "40 strong all year long". Its a great reminder that we have group of 40 strong people that we are doing this with. 

How do you imagine that you will adjourn from the group of colleagues you have formed while working on your master's degree in this program?

I like that with each course we are allowed to say our good-byes via blog posts. I have been on this journey with a number of colleagues for a year now. We may not speak directly but knowing that I see a familiar name helps me to not feel so alone. And the fact that we get to just say thanks and share our experience is very cool

Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

Adjourning is essential because you get to discuss the accomplishments and failures and determine if the group will disassemble or take on another project. (O'Hair & Wienmann, 2015. pg. 249)

Reference

O'Hair, D., Wiemann, M., Mullin, D. I., & Teven, J.  (2015). Real communication (3rd. ed). New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.