- Are the standards or ground rules that develop in a group that control the behavior of its members.
- Usually express beliefs or desires of the majority.
What “should” and “should not” be said/done. - Have behavior as their principal focus, to ensure compliance, even if
reluctantly.
Sanctions exist for those who violate whatever the norms of the group are. - Can be implicit or explicit, and may be unconscious
Notes:
- A change in norms changes the culture of the group.
- Group norms can facilitate or hinder group process.
- Norms of a group evolve, and are difficult to impose by force or external
authority.
cf.: Tuckman’s model: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing