Norms are ethics or principles shared by groups or teams,
both formal and informal; they help to, among many other things, minimize
individual differences, maintain and preserve group integrity, and are formed
with respect to those things the group deem important and necessary to
function. Norms tend to reflect group values, and become habitual of group
members over a period of time. Norms can be adopted as a part of the group’s written
by-laws or constitution to be handed out to members, or it they can implicitly
evolve over a period of time. Though group members are supposed to conform to
its norms, not every member will come on board; some members will attempt to
alter or completely change group norms.
Some of the common group norms include:
1.
Dress codes at public functions like weddings,
picnics, and community services
2.
Pledge of loyalty to the group both publicly and
privately
3.
Wearing distinctive hairstyles, or shoals around
the neck (e.g. gang members)
4.
Distinctive handshakes as a mark of
identification of members in public.
5.
Seating arrangements at group meetings for group
leaders and subordinates
6.
Allocation of time slots for member
contributions during deliberations
7.
Norms for allocation of group resources, and
evaluation of member performances, respectively.
8.
Avoidance foul languages and stereotyping at
meetings and other group gatherings
9.
Mutual respect among members within and outside
group circles
10.
Punctuality to group meetings and other events
Conformity to group norms shows belongingness, and must not
be construed as an attempt to regulate every aspect of group interaction;
rather, it should be seen as a vehicle for expression of group values. For
example, male group members may be required to wear black suits and blue ties
at weddings and red or cream evening gowns for women; khaki shorts and red
t-shirts with the group logo in front at community service functions, or plaid
shorts and brown polo shirts at company picnics.
Group norms, has its positives and negatives. Some of the
positive norms include defending the organization and management in the face of
criticism; conveying a positive public image about the organization by speaking
well of it in public; praising management-employee relationship to help boost
morale and encourage new employees to be loyal to the organization, and
promotion of an atmosphere of openness and mutual trust and acceptance in the
organization.
Some of the negative group norms include disparaging the
organization and its management in public and to applicants, thereby warding
off potential new employees; promoting a negative work ethics by discouraging
members from putting their best efforts at work; constantly challenging and
working against every rule and regulation of the organization, regardless of
its intent and benefits; creating an atmosphere of mistrust between management
and subordinates, between departments, and among employees.
Group norms are revisited on a regular basis, to acquaint
new members of these norms and to reinforce them among the old members; also to
review and, possibly, eliminate the ones that are no longer useful to the
group. It is also necessary to revisit these norms to ascertain whether they
help or hurt the group, especially when some members leave a group; because
certain norms may not contribute to the progress of a group. At the end of the
day, norms only work if group members do not have reservations about them; so,
it is important that a group reach consensus over the list of norms before they
are adopted and become operational
Conflicts
Whenever you have more than one person working together,
conflicts are bound to crop up over differences in goals and perceptions which
include limited resources, reward structures, different goals and time
horizons, status incongruence, and inaccurate perceptions; work or group
interdependence which includes pooled, sequential and reciprocal
interdependence; and increased demand for specialists. Conflicts can usher in positive change in
organizations, improve performance situations, and offer new solutions to
existing problems when it is at optimal level. When conflict is at a low level
in an organization, it leads to poor performances; at a very high level,
conflicts lead to chaos that is capable of threatening organizational
performance.
Organizational conflicts could be cross-cultural – between
individuals or groups separated by cultural boundaries; personality – one
employee not liking another based on one thing or the other; intergroup –
conflict of interest between competing groups. Conflicts could be functional –
which is a positive thing for the organization, or dysfunctional – which negatively
impacts the organization. Whichever form the conflict takes, managers must be in
a constant anticipatory and prepared mode to handle such conflicts.
Functional Conflicts are healthy constructive disagreements
between groups and individuals on how best to achieve a mutual goal; they
support organizational goals, and improve performances. Functional conflicts
can arise between an organization’s production and sales team over costs and
revenues, respectively. While the production team may want to cut production
and labor costs, the sales team with a goal to increase sales by a certain
percentage point would want production to hire more people to increase output.
Though increased production will generate sales revenue for the organization,
the extra cost may be bad for the production team which may already be under
orders to trim its annual operating cost. Eventually, the two departments will
work out a mutual agreement that will meet their individual goals. Functional,
or constructive conflicts, are usually aimed at ideas, principles, and processes.
They result in a solution to a problem; increase the involvement of every
member of the group, and results in stronger team cohesion.
Dysfunctional conflicts, on the other hand, are disputes and
disagreements that hinder organizational performance. It generally involves
members of a group or two or more groups unwilling to work together to solve a
problem, and management must work to eliminate such conflicts because of its
destructive impact on organizational performance. Continuing with our example
of the production and sales departments; suppose the production team refuses to
budge on sales request to increase output to boost sales revenue, especially
where resources were not allocated for expansion of the production department
or purchase of new equipment, sales will not have the needed extra products to
sell to meet its revenue goals. It may even refuse to accept the fact that the
cost of production expansion may be much higher than the projected revenue from
sale of the extra products. In this case, we have a dysfunctional conflict
which may extend beyond organizational or departmental goals to personal hatred
between the groups leadership.
Dysfunctional conflicts destroy group morale, polarize the group,
divert energy from value-added activities, and leave the problem unresolved. It
diverts managers’ time away from business opportunities; it forces compromises that
end up leaving someone paying for the solution – in most cases, customers;
also, it increases stress in the work place. Inter-group dysfunctional
conflicts can lead to increased group cohesion, a rise in autocratic leadership
focus on activity, emphasis on group loyalty, distorted perception of group
members’ self-importance, negative stereotyping of other groups, and decreased
communication between members of the groups involved in the conflict.
Every conflict is different and will require a different
approach in solving it. Some conflicts could be resolved through resolutions
which include problem solving, setting superordinate goals that will require
the cooperation of teams to achieve, expanding resources to accommodate more
team members, avoiding the issue in conflict (this is akin to pushing the issue
under the rug to resurface sometime down the road, and is not advised), and
emphasizing the shared interest of both teams. Other methods include
compromising, identifying a common enemy, and altering the human and structural
variables. Other types of conflict could be solved through cross-cultural and
group negotiations, which involve understanding the other side’s interests and
knowing all available options. Finally, conflicts could be resolved through
team building or stimulation which will require trust on both sides, management’s
commitment. Also important is sharing information and providing adequate and necessary training to
members, involving unions in the process, communication, involvement of outside
personnel, altering organizational
structures, and stimulating competition through incentives and rewards.
Group Norms and Conflicts
Sometimes,
group norms can result in conflicts among members and dysfunction that could affect
group focus on goals and objectives. Such norms as dress codes which some
members may object to on religious and cultural reasons, can lead to
disobedience of group norms. For example, in a cross-cultural group which may
include members from the Middle East, Asia, and Africa with a tradition of
wearing hijabs, sarongs, and dashiki, it will be difficult to impose or adopt a
code of mostly western-oriented dresses at group meetings and functions;
because these members of the group could find western dressing discomforting
and against their religious and cultural beliefs.
Another
group norm that could result in conflicts is where incompatible personalities
exist in a group. The group leader may be autocratic and authoritarian in his
or her leadership style, and this may rub some members the wrong way,
especially those members who are not used to being dictated to, and who believe
in decisions through consensus agreements. Members with a work or social
background where decisions are reached following inputs from every member may
not accept a situation where a group or team leader will insist on his/her way,
or try to influence the final group decision in his or her favor. There is
likely to be objections which, if not handled carefully, will result in
conflicts.
Extreme time
pressure is another group norm that could result in conflicts. Some groups may
allocate times for members to make contributions in a discussion. Some members
who feel they have a lot of contributions to make on an issue may not feel the
allocated time is enough for them to fully express their views, and they are
bound to register their objections. Again, if changes are made, conflict will
be avoided. Where the group leadership chose’s to ignore these concerns, it
could result in member nonparticipation which could result in dysfunctional
conflicts that may see aggrieved members leaving the group.
Conclusion
Groups and
teams are the modern trend in some major companies today, because it is easier,
cheaper, less bureaucratic, and much quicker to get things accomplished. These
groups could be formal or informal, and could be formed for the purpose of creating
a new product, carrying out a major reorganization project, or setting up a
branch in a foreign country. Groups have norms that help guide its proceedings
and operations, and they are binding on most members. While some norms can
strengthen group cohesion, others could lead to inter – or intra – group conflicts
which may be beneficial or destructive to the organization, depending on how it
is managed. Functional conflicts, at an optimal level, lead to overall
improvements in various levels of an organization, while dysfunctional
conflicts produce the opposite result. Just as functional conflict is capable
of strengthening an organization; dysfunctional conflict is capable of
destroying it, if not solved immediately. Managers must expect and recognize
the existence of, and prepare on how to manage and solve, team conflicts. They
must, also, be able to differentiate between functional and dysfunctional
conflicts, so as to harness the benefits of a functional conflict.
References:
1.
The Development of Group Norms –
Skillsyouneed.com
2.
Establishing Group Norms – Brushy Fork Institute
(Karen West – 2010)
3.
Functional vs Dysfunctional Conflict in
Organizations: Differences & Mediation – Jennifer Lombardo
4.
Organizational Behavior: Core Concepts – Angelo
Kinicki
5.
Definition & Types of Team Conflict (Mary Lewinson - 2010)
6.
Managing Team Conflict – Cynthia Phillips
7.
Group Norms – Craig D. Parks (2011)
8.
Organizations: Behavior, Structures, Processes –
J. L. Gibson, et al (14th Edition)
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