Group norms - a set of ‘rules’ which may be written, unwritten, spoken or even just implied.

The norms may be either:

• Implicit: where there is an assumption there us a as et way to behavekm operate or interact with a member within the group
• Explicit: where there is a written set on such matters as how to answer the phone, respond to a customer, or the manager and laugher to be used when addressing a superior

The Group may be:

• Formal - the group you are in within a business, this includes the business as a whole and the department/team you are assigned to
• Informal - where a group consists of friends and is formed for social occasions. Less likely for there to be a leader and agreement is by consensus

Whether a an individual will conform to the group norms depends on:

• Whether there is a shared view in within the group
• The extent to which the individual needs the group
• The purpose of the group
• The formality of the group - a formal work group will have a higher chance of the individual conforming to it.

Studies to do with group Norms:

R.Bales (Group Observation) came to the conclusion that:

• Over time a formal leader becomes disliked, whereas an informal leader tends to be liked by the group.
• The size of the group influences the level of contributions. The smaller the group the higher the contributions buy its members
• Those who contribute a lot will initiate ideas

Tannenbaum and Schmidt found that because members want to stay part of the group they are in their individual objective will take second place to meeting the objectives of the group.