Team Norms

Definition


Norms are the rules of the game that govern
group member behavior. Norms are consensual,
those standards that are “agreed upon” by
members of the team. They can be implicit or
explicit.
What Norms Describe



The acceptable way that team members should
respond in a situation
The types of behaviors that should be avoided
by team members
The types of rewards and punishments that
team provide when standards are violated.
Development of Norms


Explicit statements by members of
the group (e.g., co-worker,
supervisor)
Setting the norm can be backed by
legitimate power (supervisor),
individual who is powerful member of
the group (expertise, respect), or
people with the resources
Development of Norms, cont’d

Major Events in Team’s History



A specific “good” or “bad” experience-project
success or failure, ethical violations
Awkward interpersonal events that should
avoided in the future
Critical events that occur such as arguments
among team members, Milestones: half-way
through a project deadline
Development of Norms, cont’d

Primacy

Behaviors that occur early in the teams
interaction set expectations for how things may
be done/unfold in the future)
 Early meetings held in formal manner
 Seating positions in team
Development of Norms, cont’d

Carry-Over from Past


Expectations from other (similar) work groups or
situations. Many of these norms may be implicit,
people expected to know them so they do not
have to be relearned each time.
Can be part of the tradition of the organizationthe way things are done here for the last 40 yrs
(socialization, rituals, stories)
Why Norms Develop and are
Enforced

To Ensure the Group’s Survival

Protect itself from interference or harassment
form members of other groups



What kind of interactions are permitted with other
groups and what information to reveal to other groups
about own group
Setting groups norms about performance to ensure jobs
for team members
How to deal with admitting new members into the group
to endure that the group can continue.
Why Norms Develop, cont’d

To Simplify What is Expected and to
Make Group Members’ Behavior
Predictable



Aim is to reduce uncertainty
Aim is to reduce cognitive effort
Aim is to make certain behaviors routine





Specify functions for each team member and how things
are done (roles)
Setting an agenda for each meeting
The dealer calls the game
How to deal with a check at lunch
Group consensus to reach a decision
Why Norms Develop, cont’d
To Avoid Embarrassing
Interpersonal Situations

To protect the self-image of team members





Norms about interpersonal conflict (name-calling)
Cards call themselves
Speaking badly about team members to other teams
Who provides specific resources so the group can
work together (snacks for the team)
Why Norms Develop, cont’d

To Represent the Central Values,
Mission or Purpose of the Team



Shut up and deal
Let’s review where we are in three weeks, since
the proposal is due on the 24th
Each of us is responsible for getting an A on our
part of the project
Factors Contributing To Individual
Acceptance Of Group Norms

Attractiveness of group


Attractiveness of the team’s
members (friends in the group)


Desire to achieve the group goals (identify)
Person feels valued and included by the group,
cohesiveness of the group
Desire to remain a member of the
group (motivation)
Factors, cont’d


Ability of the group to reward
members that conform and sanction
members that deviate
Personality Characteristics

Agreeableness: social approval, high selfmonitors
Factors, cont’d

To avoid a self-conception as being
deviant, different.
Habitual Routines


A Special Case of Behavior That
Comes Under Normative Control
Previously: Norms develop to
simplify what is expected and to
make group members behavior
predictable



Aim is to reduce uncertainty
Aim is to reduce cognitive effort
Aim is to make certain behaviors routine
Habitual Routine
Characteristics

Group does something in the same
way each time without explicitly
selecting it over an alternative
course of action




Flight crew take off procedures
Top management team in terms of always using
majority vote
Always having the host provide the food
Always use joking to smooth over conflict in the
group
Habitual Routine
Characteristics, cont’d


There is a pattern of behavior that
expresses the way the group
responds to a given situation, issue
or problem it faces.
When the stimulus appears, the
behavior follows.
Positive Aspects of Habitual
Routines


No need to invest effort to decide a
strategy to deal with situationhabitual routine used once the
situation is classified.
Fosters collaboration among team
members to get things done.
Positive Aspects, cont’d


Creates a comfort level to deal with
this situation-know what my role is
and not likely to do the wrong thing.
Minimize disagreement in group that
would arise if had to decide how to
respond to this situation each time.
Dysfunctional Aspects of
Habitual Routines

Miscoding of situation



Likely to see situation as one to which they know
how to respond
Invoke the wrong routine, e.g., same takeoff
plan used even when context different (weather,
airport)
Suboptimal Performance

Same routine used for problem solving even if a
better strategy could be used, especially when
successful in the past
Dysfunctional Aspects, cont’d

Stagnated Learning


If everything done the same way, members may
be less likely to learn new behaviors if routines
were changed
Things could be more enjoyable if new routine
was used
What Maintains Habitual
Routines

Mindless behavior


Cost of change


The more often it is used to less people think
about it, the less conscious it becomes
Not have to just decide what to give up but what
to change to
Normative control


The way we do things here
Non-compliance punishment
Forces That May Compel A
Change In Habitual Behavior

A clear change in the situation



A situation that is clearly different
Take off routine is changed because there is an
armed hijacker in the plan (Big change)
Group experiences failure


We do not always respond to failure with change
Sunk cost: Continue the same strategy because
we do not want to admit that we are wrong,
become defensive
Forces for Change, cont’d

Reaching a Milestone




Midpoint of the group task
Recognition that we need to get something done
End of project when a formal review of what we
did (evaluation norm)
Change in the group’s structure and
task



Membership changes in the team
Redesign of team task
Change in the authority structure of the teamnew leadership
Motto of the Story

Don’t let your habitual routines
become your downfall


Examine the functionality of your routines
Develop a team norm to periodically review the
way you are doing things at some milestone in
the group – middle or completion of the project
or at regular intervals