ADJOURNING....an essential stage of TEAMWORK

Research shows that as a group progresses, it goes through five specific stages which are: forming, storming, norming, performing and adjourning ( O'Hair & Wiemann, 2012). All stages are vital and have their indelible impression on the lifespan of the group. The adjourning stage is exceptionally a cumulative, evaluation, celebration and soul stage of the work. I use all of these adjectives because the adjourning stage is usually characterized by these descriptions. 

Praise, the Youth Coerper

I remember my stay in what we call Family House. The family House is a building that houses a  body of transiting christian youth corpers. My country has a policy that enables every first degree fresh graduates to socialize, encounter work experience and have diversity exposure in various locations of the country. A national body sends a list to each university of where every final year student should be headed upon completion of their program. Most posting sends people to locations that are distant and unfamiliar. You are required to serve the nation for one year in that location. The goal is to enable the spirit of service, patriotism, and work culture in fresh graduates. 

Youth Corpers

It begins with one month of camping for everyone. And usually the outgoing set meets with the incoming group in each state and they take off from there. The family house is a house that welcomes those who were Christians on campus and those who choose to join them. Usually, accommodation, after the one month camping is tough as you have to fend for yourself, but the Family house, a body of Christians, uses the opportunity to reach out to people. Somehow, I had accommodation provision from a family friend but had to go and stay in the family house because I was appointed the welfare secretary when the new leadership team was appointed. 

The family house residents went to our various places of posting for work daily, such as schools as youth corper teachers, and other offices that chose to welcome corpers. We always began our day communally with prayers, sharing the word from the bible and we had a great time fellowship-ping. We made a general meal daily, also have evening devotions before we went to sleep. We had chores and duties. We did community cleaning more rigorously at weekends and we also cook twice daily at weekends. 

We had goals and collective projects such as improving the building  that housed us ( it was an uncompleted building, being built by these ordinary corpers and each set contributes), rural evangelism, annual concert and national conference. We all participated accordingly and spirits were always high in family house. We were young school leavers with great prospects in the face of economic hardships, so the leadership usually focuses on faith, resilience, righteousness, diligence and such values during exhortations. We did form, I was not cognizant of the storming stage but it occurred here and there. We met established norms which we had to imbibe, and they were pleasant and helped the communal living. Family house was fun, we were family.

At the end of our service period, emotions welled up, A lot of us were already so bonded, some were engaged to be married, some have already secured good jobs with credible established companies, and some were yet to have anything at all. We encouraged ourselves as we had been doing. We had a party with awards and  recognition of contributors. This is a norm that every set must undergo. We were very emotional as we were to part with each other.

It was hard to part because we had become a family. It was a mixed feeling. Yes a stage of our lives which we all at one time longed for has just been accomplished. Well then, how about the new family we had formed, It was not very exciting separating. We had to say goodbye and we tried to keep important contacts ( Abudi, 2009). 

The adjourning stage of the teamwork is essential because it reveals the true nature of the team spirit of the team that has existed.  It is like examining the emotional social and physical well being of the group.



Reference:
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

O'Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2012). Real communication: An introduction. New York:                                              Bedford/St. Martin's