Group norms are important determinants of whether a group will be productive. Norms usually develop slowly as groups learn those behaviors that will facilitate their activities.
Group norms are the informal rules that groups adopt to regulate members' behavior. Norms are characterized by their evaluative nature; that is, they refer to what should be done. Norms represent value judgments about appropriate behavior in social situations. Although they are infrequently written down or even discussed, norms have powerful influence on group behavior.
If each individual in a group decided how to behave in each interaction, no one would be able to predict the behavior of any group member; chaos would reign. Group norms guide behavior and reduce ambiguity in groups.
Groups do not establish norms about every conceivable situation but only with respect to things that are significant to the group. Group norms might apply to every member of the group or to only some members. Norms that apply to particular group members usually specify the role of those individuals. Norms vary in the degree to which they are accepted by all members of the group: some are accepted by almost everyone, others by some members and not others.
