Norms are the expectations about behavior within a group. For example, your work team may expect everyone to be on time for meetings and to arrive prepared. To have the most impact, norms should be clearly communicated. Members can establish positive norms by following a few simple steps:
Create ground rules. When the group first comes together, take time to develop ground rules, or written expectations about behavior. For example, “Notify the group if you’re going to miss a meeting, silence your phone during meetings, and don’t interrupt when someone else is talking.”
Begin and end meetings on time. Waiting for everyone to arrive before you start a meeting sends a message that it’s OK to arrive late. Similarly, regularly allowing meetings to go over their scheduled time is frustrating for group members with busy schedules.
Confront problem behaviors immediately. Use the conflict-
Evaluate the group regularly. To ensure the group is adequately working toward its goals, conduct regular evaluations (e.g., at the end of each meeting or month). Members can do this by openly identifying what’s going well in the group and what needs to be changed. For instance, a group may be meeting its project deadlines, but if members are arguing over workload and responsibilities, that problem needs to be addressed.