Adjourning
I know that we can can testify about the different types of groups that we have been a part of. For me, the group where we treated each other with respect and looked out for the well being of each other was the hardest to leave. Because we all worked so well together and everyone had high standards, we performed very well. Within the group, there were no cliques. We all had our own opinions and valued the opinions of others. We valued each other and especially our differences. This group was formed as a grade level. We were all second grade teachers and did everything together; lesson plans, meetings, and more.
When I had to PCS with my husband, we celebrated by going to dinner with each other and our families. There to my surprise, I was blessed with gifts from each person.
While working on my master's degree online, I have not had the opportunity to meet my colleagues and establish relationships. I know for sure that it is very hard to leave people or adjourn where there are relationships that are healthy. Adjourning may not be so hard in this case.
I must add, we people do not work together well as a team, it is easy to say good bye. I have to admit, I have been working with a group of managers where I am trying to buy my way out of. People are jealous, mean, unappreciative and have different worth ethics than I do. I can not wait until I am able to adjourn from this team.
Adjourning is an essential stage of teamwork because it helps the team or group reflect on their accomplishment and failures as well as determine whether the group will disassemble or take on another project.(O’Hair & Wiemann, 2012. p. 257)
Reference
O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012).
Real communication: An introduction. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's.
In a way, I think online classes are challenging, because of the limited interaction we have with each other - especially since we live in various parts of the nation/world. But I think the best thing that I get is the opportunity for us all to express ourselves openly and to share what we are learning in a safe environment - like you said, we respect each other and are all working towards the same goal. Still, I would like to have an opportunity to reflect more as we end courses, it seems like this is such an important part of building stronger relationships in the future.
ReplyDeleteI wish you the best with the team situation but just keep doing what you do best. I mentioned in my post as well, it will not be so hard to adjourn from this group of colleagues only because of us not having group projects. I enjoy the discussion postings because it give me an opportunity to see different views.
ReplyDeleteHi Katrina,
ReplyDeleteI was feeling the same as you regarding the adjourning process with classmates. I felt as if I had not established as much of a relationship with them as I have with coworkers or even when I did an on-campus degree previously. However, we have all formed relationships with each other in some form. I have often wondered how it will all feel when we each finish our degree and no longer have this community within the context of our classroom.
Your post is very interesting. I did not look at this master's degree program as an easy adjouring, but it will be compared to my college basketball team. I hope things get better for you and wish you the best outcome. Its every hard to work with others who do share the same goals or outsome in a vision.
ReplyDeleteKatrina,
ReplyDeleteLike others have stated here and in their blogs, working together online is different than working together in a classroom setting. Online, we have the opportunity to share with one another but it is not as personal as a face-to-face interaction. I hope to at least gain some networking buddies across the United States and the world after our journey with Walden is complete.