Letting things happen, then letting them go.

All collaborations – and all organisations – come to an end. Some may only last a few weeks or months, while others – institutionalised, self-sustaining – may endure for multiple human lifetimes. For as long as those involved remain committed and the circumstances support continued existence, it is worth staying the course, adapting to new conditions as they arise. There are, however, times when blind perseverence can prove counterproductive. Interests and directions may evolve, people may move on, die, or change, opportunities may shift, goals may be achieved or become irrelevant, while old ideas grow stale.

Organisations, and their humans, are vulnerable to the passage of time. And yet, there is a temptation to hold on, seeking growth or transformation. We hear plenty of motivational stories from those who turned failure into success, but there are far fewer accounts of organisational palliative care. Knowing why, when, and how to end collaborations, how to let go of institutional spaces and legal entities, can be energising and empowering for all involved. Asking and answering such questions, together, is part of the process of conscious closure.

Why?

Start by coming together as a group to acknowledge the situation, and decide that a closure is the best response.

When?

• What is the duration of your closure?
• Is there a specific timeline for completing the closure?
• Are there any milestones or deadlines you're working towards? Fixed endpoints sometimes help. At other times, an approximate timeline will be more appropriate.

Who is involved?

• Who are the key players in the closure process? Who will do what?
• What roles and responsibilities do people have?
• How can you make those involved as comfortable as possible, both during and after the closure? Are there opportunities for check-ins, coaching, mentoring, support groups, informal get-togethers, adjusted working conditions, or other forms of financial, physical, or emotional support?
• Who needs to be informed about the closure, and when? What are the most appropriate channels of communication? How will you let suppliers, collaborators, partners, authorities know what is happening?

What do you need?

• What material resources do you have at your disposal?
• Who can you turn to for support? Are there any people, organisations, or systems you can rely on during this time?
• What measures do you have in place to ensure your physical and emotional wellbeing?

What do you need to finish?

• Are there outstanding projects, tasks, and commitments that need to be concluded before the closure?
• How can you wrap things up quickly and efficently, without cutting corners?
• Are there any tasks or projects that can be safely abandoned? What are the implications of doing so?
• Are there any financial obligations that need be addressed? Bills to be paid, accounts to be settled. How will these be handled?
• Are there any legal requirements related to the closure?
• How can you ensure all administrative tasks and completed thoroughly and accurately, without underestimating the time and effort required? What accounts need closing (utilities, bank, insurance, tax, suppliers...)?
• What documents do you need to provide, and to which authorities? How do you do this and when? Will your final accounts need to be audited? Do documents need to be prepared by a lawyer, an accountant or someone else?

What will you do with the “stuff”? Get Rid of It!

• How can you responsibly disperse the closed entity’s physical items? What can be sold, gifted, exchanged?
• How will you classify and dispose of waste? Reuse, repurpose, recycle...
• What needs to be cleaned, physically or digitally? Clean every surface, remove all traces of your existence, let some fresh air in. Ensure the archives are organised and backed up
• How will you ensure that any remaining digital data is handled appropriately? Clearing caches, decommissioning databases, reformatting disks...

How will you let go?

• How will you celebrate the end? There are different ways to take leave of a dying entity.
• What kind of separation would be meaningful and appropriate for those involved? Celebration, valediction, contemplation...
• How will you acknowledge and process and feelings or loss or grief? Individually or as a collective, in public and private spaces, conscious closure includes the experience of loss, which can take different forms.
• What will your closing ritual look like, and how will you mark the end of the process in a way that feels final? A farewell, a ‘deconsecration’, a ‘decommissioning’, a reminder of all that was and will never be again.
• How will you express your gratitude to everyone involved, acknowledging the contributions they made? Sometimes just a bow, a hug, or a cheers! (with a beverage of choice) can be enough.
• How will you take your leave? Take a breath and close the door one last time. Shut down a server. Take another breath, then leave. If you can, ritualise the first step, the first minute, taking you from what was into something new.
• How will you rest and recuperate, giving yourself time to process all that’s happened? A conscious closure is often long, an intense and convoluted process. Allow yourself to rest before jumping into something new. Let the waves subside.

What comes after?

• What came before becomes compost for something new.

Conscious Closure

🍂