When analyzing my best and worst team accomplishments, the deployed performance ingredients listed in the Rocket model fit in. Based on the observations drawn from the textbook, I will diagnose the effectiveness of each team using the Rocket model, where the eight components will be considered and provide suggestions that will help improve the performance of the worst team.
My most memorable team experience happened during one collaborative project in my previous job, which I worked on many years ago. This team had great teamwork and high productivity. As a consequence, we managed to complete the project before the deadline. Analyzing this team using the Rocket model perspective highlights several strong points. In line with this, the team succeeded in informing each other of the purpose of the project and the overall organizational goals. This enabled the teammates to eliminate all unnecessary things, resulting in more focused efforts. In addition, the team had the available resources to execute the plan well, e.g., access to essential data and tools needed and supportive management (Terner & Franks, 2021). Secondly, our team had clarity in the mission and stated specific and measurable objectives. The fact that we could pull towards these targets helped us feel like a team, where everyone carried their weight and responsibilities. We had regular review progress meetings that helped us keep to the specific timeline and adjust our approaches as needed, which provided us with the necessary alignment with our mission.
Another thing that added to their winning edge was their strong talent. All team members were equipped with certain specific skills that better suited them to definite roles within the group, and these roles were well-defined and based on individual strengths. In addition, our culture as a team was based on increasing each person’s learning and skills development, which made us even more skilful members in the long run.
While my best team experience occurred in a university group project characterized by high efficiency and cooperation, my worst one occurred in another university group project with low efficiency and full of interpersonal conflicts. At the start, the team was excited about working together. Still, later interaction turned out to be very difficult, leading to a drop in performance levels, which also made a stressful experience overall. We identify the following gaps by applying the model rocket to this team’s analysis. Concerning context, the project goals and expectations needed to be clarified, which led to confusion and frustrations among the project team members.
Furthermore, unreliable resources, including inappropriate materials and conflicting appointments, could have helped our progress. The mission part could have been more effective because no specific goals were determined or a shared vision was established among the team (Wang et al., 2024). To this mentality, my team members needed to be more motivated to give their all, and as a result, we did not achieve significant outcomes. From the talent viewpoint, individual team members had different skill levels, as some of them needed to meet the requirements, and others needed help to sustain motivation in the project. It took much work to define roles and duties clearly, resulting in a lack of vision in the team.
Based on the Rocket model, converting such a low-level team into a high-performing team might be done by taking several interventions (Quansah & Hartz, 2021). Moreover, it is essential to eliminate the fetching of project goals and expectations, giving the necessary means and alternatives to ensure the project’s success. Furthermore, it is vital to cultivate a sense of direction and shared responsibility among the team members to create the required motivation and commitment. Ultimately, collaboration can be refined by defining roles, upskilling staff, and improving the communication process, and productivity can be enhanced.
In summary, the Rocket model undoubtedly offers a feasible tool for assessing team effectiveness at an organizational level and provides a basis for improvement initiatives. By factoring in its insights, teams help counter their weaknesses, magnify their strengths, and up their game to deliver their best performance, ultimately leading to success. Accepting the rules of the Rocket team can be a vehicle for the smooth functioning, productivity, and success of the team members wherever they work.
Reference
Quansah, E., & Hartz, D. E. (2021). Strategic adaptation: leadership lessons for small business survival and success. American Journal of Business, 36(3/4), 190-207.
Terner, Z., & Franks, A. (2021). Modelling player and team performance in basketball. Annual Review of Statistics and Its Application, 8, 1-23.
Wang, C., Zhang, Y., Zhao, Z., Chen, X., & Hu, J. (2024). Dynamic model-assisted transferable network for liquid rocket engine fault diagnosis using limited fault samples. Reliability Engineering & System Safety, p. 243, 109837.