Concept: regular behavior patterns that are accepted, relatively stable, and expected by group members.
>E.g, the behaviors team members exhibit that reinforce, their uniqueness and personal pursuits (competitive) versus their shared pursuits, shared objectives, and commonalities (cooperative).
- How are decisions made in the team?
- Expected and accepted behavior in team meetings?
- How is conflict resolved?
- How do team members communicate with each other?
Why should you care?
In the teams where norms are cooperative, individuals are more satisfied, more performant, more compensated
Teams with cooperative norms meet regularly and are more effective.
Source: Chatman and Flynn, Academy of Management Journal, 2001
What can you do? Set expectations
As the team leader, you have a big influence on team norms.
Set high expectations for and reinforce the group norms that will be critical for your team's perfomance of the task... just remember, once norms are established, they are not easy to change.
Source: Taggar and Ellis, Leadership Quaterly, 2007