In the end.....

Our last blog was on the adjournment phase of collaborative groups and now here we are saying farewell to our group members.  These eight weeks have been such a positive learning experience.  I have truly learned how important communication is to become and effective leader and in general when working with others.

I wish all my colleagues much success in their future endeavors here at Walden and in life.  I hope to meet again with you all in the future.  

Adjourning

I  find it difficult to leave groups that I truly enjoy or when I feel like I have bonded with the other individuals. Most recently my friend asked me to participate in this group that was to perform at an undergraduate event. I was apprehensive at first just because I tend to be shy around people I do not know. I joined the group and we spent everyday together for three weeks preparing our performance, over the time we all grew fond of each other. Before I performance we all had feelings of sadness because we would not be together everyday afterwards so we made plans to spend time together.  We also formed a chat group where we could talk in.  After the performance we have gotten together several times for game nights and dinner.  We chat in our group everyday, and we truly have become a family, everyone is so supportive of one another.

Adjourning is essential to teams and groups because it allows everyone to converse about the task or vision that was completed and recap the situations they may have faced.  And in some cases there are lasting relationships built.  Adjournment is a celebration of what was achieved.

Conflict and Communication

Most recently at work we are facing a conflict between staff and management, as I am a part of the management team.  The issue is that we are not achieving the success we can potentially have because of quality and aesthetic problems, and the staff has their own opinions on these issues. One strategy we used in solving this issue is using some of the guidelines of nonviolent communication.  We needed to understand each side of of the issue in a clear and respectful manner.  With this in mind we had a staff meeting to have an open conversation about goals, plans and where we needed to go, allowing everyone to input on the conversation without bias. Another strategy that is helpful is situations like this is the 3 R's, being respectful, reciprocal, and responsive.  Each party needed to be respectful to one another and their positions and contributions to the program. Then be understanding and responsive to each others opinions, suggestions, and ideas. In the end the biggest ideal in solving conflict is to be clear in your own intentions and be respectful to the other party.