4 Group Norms

A group norm can be defined as a standard of behaviour that is derived from what the members of the group perceive as being acceptable and appropriate.

A team's collective perception of what is 'correct behaviour', or the 'right response' in a particular situation, may have a great effect upon the individual, for good or ill. None of us lives in a vacuum: we are all affected by peer pressure, i.e. influenced by friends, families and colleagues. By and large, most of us try to do what we think is expected of us.

'To be nobody-but-myself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting.' e. e. cummings

Every workteam will have norms of its own and these norms may, or may not, be in the best interests of the organization as a whole. For example, a team may have norms that affect:

• how much work members do;

• how flexible the team is and how willing it is to accept changes;

• how much thought the team will give to finding new ways of doing things.

There are a number of things you may have suggested, including:

• how easily new members...