My last semester at Southwest Texas State University (I know
it’s Texas State now, but it will forever be SWT to me), I was part of an
awesome study group that met three times a week. There were five of us and we had all the same
classes. You see, the Family and
Consumer Sciences department was fairly small, as far as university departments
go. By the time you got to your senior
classes they were usually only offered once or twice. So, you got to know the students in your
program fairly well. That last semester
there was this long break from about noon until 3:30. Since most of us commuted to school, we were
stuck there and made the most of the time.
We studied in the common area every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. I credit this great group for helping make a
4.0 that semester.
Even though we were an informal group, I can clearly see the
five stages of team development (O’Hair & Weimann, 2009). We formed as we all began to realize that we
were in the same situation. It started
with casual conversation, and then gradually moved into a more structured group
with the goal of studying. During the
storming, norming, and performing stages, each of us were identified for our
strengths in a particular area. For me,
it was the family financial management course.
I understood the formulas and was able to help the others. It seemed we all had strengths except for Ted. He turned out to be a social loafer (O’Hair
& Weimann, 2009). He was there to
reap the benefits of our work. We
ultimately decided to ask him to leave the group, but in a nice way. We adjourned at the end of the semester when
we graduated. We all celebrated our
graduation and wished each other luck. We
kept in touch for a few years, but I haven’t heard from any of them for years.
When this program ends, I will likely feel the same way I
did after receiving my bachelor’s degree.
I will be happy that I have achieved my goal and will wonder how my
classmates are doing. I might even keep
in touch with some of them. I think the adjourning
stage in essential in teamwork because it gives closure to the project and
allows for reflection.
References:
O’Hair, D., & Wiemann, M. (2009). Real communication: An
introduction. New York:Bedford/St. Martin’s.
