 Let me ask you a question. What is the lunchtime procedure for your work or for a group that you're a part of? Do you bring your lunch or do you go out for a lunch? Do you are expected to eat as a group and you know share a common lunch or you do spread out and just kind of Everybody does their own thing and how do you know these things? I mean, how are these things determined and how did you discover that or figure that out in the group or a place where you Work the same thing with zoom You know now that we're all I'm working from home A lot of people are working from home or meeting from home doing classes from home when you're on these zoom meetings Right, what's what's the proper etiquette for for getting off of that meeting for for closing things out? And I don't mean like clicking the leave meeting button. I'm talking about, you know Do you wave do you just say goodbye? Do you just as the guys on my favorite podcast smart list would say do you just slap the laptops closed when you're done? You know at the end of it you just slap it shut right? That's their favorite move at the end of their interviews Well determining these things really comes down to what is the norm for that group? These are the things that are you know some simple things, but there are things that are determined by group norms norms or just Things that guide group behavior and conduct so as we're going to discuss today We're going to talk about establishing and maintaining group norms what they are why they're important and and how we can use them effectively in groups So we're going to focus on group norms In order to do that, let's define group norms. What do we mean by group norms? Well norms very simply are formal or informal Expectations of group members that are established by the group so again these can be things that are explicit rules that they're in the employee Handbook or whatever are written down in your in your group charter and and you know They can be that explicit or they can just be things like you notice everybody else is doing this And this is the way the group does it without having laid down some explicit rule It could be informal like that And it may just be a you know a social norm as well that that is influencing the group But but they have these formal or or informal expectations of group members that are established by the group That's what we mean by group norm So some characteristics or things that we know to be true about group norms or things to note about group norms important factors here First norms summarize and simplify group influence processes, right? So they just very simply simplify things they give us some guidelines We don't have that paralysis by analysis right where we're not sure about how to handle this or what to do The group is already determined this in the case of a norm. This is how things are gonna be handled This is how we're gonna we're gonna operate in this group and and in this team So you don't have to worry about that. We just do it. We can just do it Then we don't have to you know Recreate the wheel every time we do something so it simplifies processes in that way and it summarizes things in general for a group Now it is important to note that norms apply only to behavior They do not hopefully apply to private thoughts or feelings That's that's something different really we're kind of getting into in some ways group thinking some other things But norms we're talking just about behavior We're not talking about trying to to guide and and direct the way people think of the way they feel about things Just the way we do things that typically are repetitive or a commonplace activities or expectations within the group Norms are generally developed only for behaviors that are viewed as important by most group members So one group member has this one thing that there's really important them But if the other group members of the majority of the group doesn't feel like it's an important Thing to have as a norm that it won't be a norm just because one person Feels like it should be something it won't become a norm really usually unless it's something that is that is important Or viewed as important for the majority of the group members Norms you should usually develop gradually, but the process can be quick and different members wish So typically a norm is just something that develops out of habit You know it's something that how a group does it once and it works So they do it again and then slowly it just becomes the norm and the expectation that that's the way it be done It doesn't have to be that slowly and doesn't have to occur that way There are times when you know something abrupt happens in a group and a group will say okay No, this is how we're gonna handle this from in the future. So now we're gonna have this very direct You know establishment of a norm or rule that will handle that specific thing So it can be quick and but usually it's just little things that happen Over over time gradually right that become just the way things are done then And all norms do not apply to all members there Maybe different rules depending on your and different norms depending on your specific role Or depending on you know some specific factor or characteristic that has to do with a group member It may be different for that particular group member then so not all norms apply to all members. It's more normal than that as well Okay, so these those are just some of the basics of norms just some some guidelines and things keep in mind about norms But let's talk a little about the functions of normal. What do norms do within a group? Well, first of all norms facilitate group survival, right? This is why in the olden days, you know when you had these wagon trains that were heading out West and Settlers and explorers were going out West they would at the end of the day They would when they were getting ready to camp for the night. They would circle their wagons, right? So we get that expression. We circle the wagons for safety for safety against animals provide protection and kind of a 360 degree viewpoint for for protection against Animals and and different, you know, I did outlaws or different attackers like that So when we say circle the wagons, what that really is doing is helping to facilitate Group survival is putting us in the best position then and that's kind of what happens with norm norms Help us circle the wagons then and and give us these process of what happens in an emergency. What happens? When this happens, you know when a happens we do be so we can get to see right So it helps us facilitate that group survival and it helps us be prepared for those situations when we have to implement these types of things It also simplifies the expected behaviors in a group I think it can simplify the expected behaviors instead of as I said that paralysis by analysis or this loop-de-loop squiggly line thing from a to b now We have a clear process from a to b and when a happens we do be and then we move on from there It's not a lot of hemming and hawing and decision-making and and you know questioning and that kind of thing It's just here it is this happens. So now this is this is what we do is a result It simplifies those expected behaviors allows group members to know okay when this happens. This should be my response It can help us avoid embarrassing situations right when we know the norms of a group or the expected behaviors Then we can avoid embarrassing situations most of us know when we get on an elevator You know you're supposed to face forward look at the numbers don't talk to people just keep your eyes straight ahead This is elevator etiquette, right? There's there's all kinds of little social norms that we have But this is one and you know unless you get that one one weird guy who comes in and just stands backward and just stares at people That's that's you know makes everybody uncomfortable, right? Well a norm can help us avoid that type of situation by knowing This is how we hate. This is how this group handles things. This is how group behaves And so I want to you know, I can follow that procedure then It can also help us identify the group and express its central values to others All right, so it can help us set that group apart and identify what we're doing here So in some hospitals not all but in some hospitals and healthcare facilities You'll see people different scrubs and sometimes those scrubs will be color-coded, right? You know if you're wearing one collar It means you're on the surgical floor and you're a surgical nurse or something like that and one color is for phlebotomists or medical assistants or CNAs or whatever so they have different scrub color coding systems so they can identify Groups and then you know express what it is that group does to other people very quickly whether you know that person or not You can identify based on their scrub color what they do Other groups have very specific norms like the military is a very specific norm about appearance, right? They're very picky about how long your hair can be and you have to clean shaven and so forth, right? So you can identify somebody in the military a lot of times by their dress by their manner But even within the military then we have different groups because you see these special forces people Special forces guys that grow long beards and grush aggy hair because they need to do so and in case they're you know inserted into a country Undercover right so to speak right there incognito They need to be able to blend in so they have to have the ability to have different if they look like they're straight out of Boot camp in the military then they're gonna stand out so they need to be able to have these different characteristics So within the military you can kind of identify in some ways Well, that must be somebody in special forces or some sort of special group because they're not required to have this stick to the grooming Standards that everybody else is they have a different standard so it can identify that group and express their values to others they're you know what they do and and you know so those things that are important so Group norms facilitate a lot of different things within a group So there are lots of different functions, but these are some of the basic Functions of group norms and what they can do what how they're helpful in a group the benefits that they can offer one important thing that happens within Groups though that we have to think about with norms is we have to socialize people when they come in when you get a New group member they've got to be acclimated They've got to be socialized into that group and taught what that group is and and what we're doing and how to do those Things right so there there are a couple different categories here that we need to consider first is the technical knowledge They need to know how to do what you want them to do They need to to be taught the different aspects of their role and their job and how to do different functions And so these are like the task related things that were that we're talking about here They need that technical knowledge and that's something we have to give them as well Every job is different every group is different so when somebody comes in we've got to teach them How to do what we need them to do and how we want them to do it as a group, right? So we need to give them that technical knowledge We also need to provide them them with that social knowledge the social knowledge, which is kind of the the more gray area Part of this it's the behavioral Expectations and the relational expectations that we have within that group. How do we talk to each other? How do we communicate with one another not only literally in a sense of do we email do we call do we whatever? But how formal are we are we joking are we doing you know? Are we are we more formal are we less formal or we do those types of things as it okay to joke around is it? It you know just in general who do we talk to and and how do we talk to them? And not just communicating but just how do we behave in these situations? What are some of the the lesser known rules that might exist for this group? So one example I give you is that when I was growing up I used to work at a reasonable part near my home just a small little regional theme park Happen to be by my hometown and I was a ride supervisor there And that's we had new people that we had to train all the time all summer long We had new people coming in we had to train them and and so so We had to train them obviously when they came we had to train them on the on a specific ride for example Whatever ride they were going to be running that day way to make sure they understood how to operate it What common issues come up with customers how to prop you know What safety measures and that kind of thing but to give them all the technical knowledge for that ride in general? But then also part of our job was to give them the social knowledge of How do things work around here? You know when can you expect your break and when you have your break? You know if you have this supervisor if he had a 15 minute break this super one supervisor would expect you back at 15 minutes Maybe time in it right other supervisors you can push a little bit 17 18 minutes They're not quite as specific on that but we got to understand that as well So we would try and you know as it you know employees you try and share that information Where do you you know where do you go to get the best deal on food? And where's the best place to get some privacy and just get away from Customers and things like that and the ride person we would share with them You know don't talk to the lifeguards because they're jerks, right? So there's got a rivalry there all of that social knowledge that we had to share to socialize those that person as well and And so we gave them all the technical knowledge they needed and all the social knowledge But there was and there's a lot to it. It's slow going it takes a long time to get acclimated to a group fully acclimated into a group So so we have to share all of that different kind of information with them on all the different norms There's one you know thing that we need to consider in terms of the norm and conform balancing act Because norming implies that you want to go along with the group that you know fall into line with what the group wants you to do but at the same time there's there's this risk of conforming and becoming just You know, it's automatic, you know, not a real person just kind of doing what's expected of you and not really thinking for yourself That's a danger as well first of all because then the group loses out on your perspective and things and part of The the benefit of work is that you get all these people with different perspectives So you should be able in a group to stand up and say no I think that's that may not be right and you want to do it in a way That's appropriate right and within kind of a larger group guidelines, but you want to be able to say No, I think maybe we should do it this other way or we should think about this instead so you don't want to fall into that balance and that Category of you're just following along and not really thinking right but it's but you do want to recognize those norms and Follow them as much as possible because that is what makes the group run smoothly if you're constantly questioning every norm that there is just because just because you want to Not conform then you're gonna just slow the group down It's gonna get bogged down in those details again paralysis by analysis these norms are there to speed things up But when one needs to be questioned you ought to be able to question it So we need to kind of keep that balancing act in mind between Norms and conform, you know, we want to want them not get too caught up in either one of those things Hopefully this gives you a better idea of what norms are how they benefit groups how they impact groups in general And and the the role that they have in groups and and being socialized into a group If you have questions about group norms or anything else related to small group communication, please feel free to email me I'd love to hear from you there in the meantime I hope that you'll be able to now recognize some of the group norms and and identify those to follow when appropriate and Question when one may need to be questioned