It’s an exciting time to be a part of ITS:. We have a new leader. Resources to support, improve, and innovate within our team have and will shortly come our way. Each of us has been empowered to take an active role in projects and positively impact the decision-making process for those projects. Our opinions and ideas matter. Our own professional development is important. We are going beyond maintenance mode and looking to the future.
As exciting as all of this is and will continue to be, it has also been a challenging time. Our reorganization is just over three months old and some are feeling uncomfortable with their new roles or not understanding how they fit in with the bigger ITS: picture. We are all being challenged to work to our potential and beyond to help make CC an even greater place. In short, many of us are working outside of our comfort zones and feeling as though we are running just to keep up.
We can take heart from the fact that this is completely normal for a group like ours that has experienced a great deal of change. Bruce Tuckman, a well-known American psychologist and researcher, described this process of group development as forming, storming, norming, and performing, and it applies to both new teams and existing teams that undergo a large change.
Our forming process has already occurred. Our organizational structure is in place, and team members are ready to continue their good works within the new model. The next phase, storming, is where I believe we are right now. While we know a lot is expected of us and understand the large amount of work that needs to be done to meet those expectations, it feels like it may not be possible to do it all. While we know we can impact decision-making, we aren’t necessarily clear about how to do so. We may not feel understood, especially if we are working closely with people we haven’t in the past. It’s an uneasy place to be.
The trick to moving from storming to norming and performing (our ultimate goal) is to:
- Ask questions.
- Speak up in kind, productive ways when something doesn’t feel right.
- Step away from your desk even for a few minutes and get to know your ITS: colleagues.
- Participate in ITS: events as often as possible so you can be up-to-date on the latest happenings and feel a part of the team.
- Think about solutions, even off-the-wall ideas, to combat the challenges we are facing.
- Take time to focus on the college’s future, as well as the task at hand, as both are crucial to success.
- Remember that you are not alone. If you are feeling uncertain, most likely someone else is, too. Reach out to your ITS: colleagues, as well as your supervisors and leaders, to help make the process easier for all.
So I say…let it storm! My experience has been that the greatest times of upheaval in my life have led to the most wonderful things. I just needed to have patience and remain open-minded about the possibilities. When I couldn’t summon either patience or open-mindedness, I asked for help. By doing so, I no longer felt alone.
Questions? Concerns? Let me know…I am here to help do what I can to see all of us succeed, and norm and perform with the best of them!
ITS:Always fun, never boring
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Petro
