Season Adjourned!
Think of the best team you’ve ever been on. What made it great? Was it how well you performed? Or maybe it was it the people and relationships you developed with them. Perhaps it was a combination of the two.
A good friend and colleague of mine, Craig Flowers, once pointed out that there seems to be a trend in post-game interviews. When teams win, the players often point to the cohesion of the group as the defining factor that helped them to become successful. They don’t explicitly say this, of course, but you might hear something along the lines of “We were all on the same page.” But you never hear, “Yeah, we each did our own thing and it paid off.”
Team cohesion doesn’t develop overnight, though. In 1965, psychologist Bruce Tuckman identified four stages of team development: Storming, Forming, Norming, and Performing. While the time spent in each stage varies, teams in every context from sports to business units experience them. There are things you can do as a leader to help accelerate the rate in which a team progresses to the performing stage — but that’s a topic for another post.
In 1977, Bruce Tuckman and his colleague, Mary Ann Jensen identified a fifth stage and named it “adjourning”. Inevitably, whether it’s the end of a sports season or the culmination of a big project, all teams reach an endpoint. In this adjourning stage the team wraps up or the groups work is finished. Given the time of year, with scholastic sports programs wrapping up, I’d like to focus on this stage.
During the adjourning stage, some team members may experience a lack of motivation as the work comes to an end, while others may feel a high level of satisfaction due to a job well done. It’s common for team members to experience both of these feelings at the same time or cycle between them. Sometimes, this is referred to as the “mourning” stage, as it represents the feelings of sadness and loss that come with the end.
The question then becomes, as a leader, what can you do to help your team navigate through the adjourning stage? For one, it’s important to celebrate the successes (but you probably don’t need a reminder to celebrate). As well, deeply reflect on the lessons learned over the course of the season or project and take the time to capture any plans for change in the next year.
Finally, think about what you want to communicate to the team members who are returning. Address any anxieties or uncertainties they may have about the future. Understand that new members will come in and send the team right back into the first stage — storming. While this relapse may be unavoidable, communicating your plan for transition can help alleviate negative emotions. The point is — don’t get so caught up in the celebration that you overlook the continued need to be thoughtful and strategic with the team you have.
