Week 6 Blog Assignment

This week you read about the five stages of team development: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Consider the adjourning phase for several of the groups in which you have been involved. 

Are high-performing groups hardest to leave? Groups with the clearest established norms? Which of the groups that you participated in was hardest to leave? Why? What sorts of closing rituals have you experienced or wish you had experienced? 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? Why is adjourning an essential stage of teamwork?

This a very thought provoking assignment.  Personally I feel that a high-performing group is the hardest to leave.  I feel that they inspire me to be more productive and I want to maintain that feeling and contribution level as long as possible.  Closing rituals are so important for the members of a team/group.  Closure in general is vital to healthy experiences.  Most often, I experience roundtable questions/comment sessions that allow everyone to verbally close the interaction and leave with a sense of contribution of their thoughts/opinions/beliefs.  I like when the group decides to continue their work independently via internet/phone/study groups/etc.  However, those "extended" interactions from the original group work tend to fizzle out quickly without face-to-face time and strong leadership.  Ending a collaborative team experience is always difficult whether or not the goal was accomplished.  Adjourning from a group with whom you have connections to sad in ways but essential to move on.  Strong connections that were made sometimes stick after the separation, its up to all party members to maintain it.   

Week 5 Blog Assignment

Think about any disagreements, or conflicts, you have recently experienced or are currently experiencing at work with a supervisor or colleague, or someone in your personal life. Share at least two strategies you have learned about that might help you manage or resolve the conflict more productively, and why these strategies might be effective. For example, could you suggest a compromise? Could you look for a broader range of solutions to your disagreement? Could you use some of the principles of nonviolent communication or the 3 R's to better help you resolve this conflict?

This conflict comes from my personal life and involves my husband and our pre-teen son.  They were involved in a conflict about use of technology and the appropriate time of day to use it.  The conversation turned violent in words when both of them refused to see the others viewpoint and were each determined to influence the other.  I was a silent listener to the conversation and used techniques to gauge nonverbal communication that was exchanged as well as determining effective communication skills both my husband and son lacked in utilizing.   After the conversation turned negative, I entered the scenario with requesting time separately with each of them.  I sat down with my son first and explained that his approach was attacking in nature and not effectively getting through to his father.  I pointed out that his viewpoint was vastly different from that of his fathers and to be successful in this debate/discussion, he needed to be an active listener, respectful to other viewpoints and most importantly, willing to compromise to reach a solution that benefits both parties.  Then I spoke with my husband and showed him the website resources from this week on conflict resolution, the 3R's and nonviolent communication.  He was very interested in the concepts and techniques.  He was open to suggestions and began to see that his son had his own valid points.  Compromise truly is the best solution in so many conflict situations.  Then I brought the two boys back together.  They took turns communicating their viewpoints with why they felt that way.  They were respectful and patient with each other.  I was SO impressed!  With my help, the successfully navigated a conflict and came to a resolution involving an agreed upon chart for cell-phone usage.  :)