Page 170 - Effective group discussion theory and practice by Adams, Katherine H. Brilhart, John K. Galanes, Gloria J

Communication and Group Culture 153

Development of Group Rules and Norms

When individuals begin to interact as members of a group, anything is possible. Some-
how, the members must develop a set of rules and operating procedures to coordinate
their individual behaviors into a system. Some rules are formalized guidelines for Rule
behavior. For example, Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised is used by many organi- A statement
zations as a guide for governing face-to-face interaction. Robert includes an entire prescribing how
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section of rules that apply to any committee of an organization using his parliamentary members of a small
manual. group may, should, or
However, most of the normal operating procedures for a group are developed must behave, which
gradually, with unspoken consent of the group members. For instance, if Kara comes may be stated
late to a meeting and other members make a point of chastising her, Kara will likely formally in writing or
arrive on time for subsequent meetings and the group has “decided” on a rule that informally as in the
members should arrive on time. Such an informal rule, or norm, is seldom written case of norms.
down; instead, it is an unstated expectation about how members should behave and is
enforced by peer pressure. This section focuses on these norms: prescriptions from Norm
group behavior that emerge out of group communication and are an important An unstated informal
process variable of group interaction. rule, enforced by
Norms reflect cultural and personal beliefs about what is or is not appropriate peer pressure, that
behavior, as we discussed in Chapter 4. Although the norms of an individual group governs the behavior
may be specific to that group, chances are they will mirror general cultural norms. We of members of a
mentioned in Chapter 3, for example, that even emotional expression in groups is small group.
guided by both emotional norms and members’ emotional experience. For instance, if
physical violence is prohibited by the general culture, with disagreements handled
through discussion, then that is what a group established in the context of this larger
culture will likely do. Structuration theory teaches us that groups do not start out with
a blank slate—members bring with them expectations and social rules for how to
behave. 54
Norms are not imposed by an authority outside the group but are imposed by
members on themselves and each other through their communication. Peer rejection
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is a powerful mechanism that reinforces member conformity to norms. Velásquez
and her associates, who studied fourth- through fifth-grade girls and boys in Colom-
bia, found that girls tended to engage in indirect aggression but punished direct
aggression. For boys, the opposite occurred, with direct aggression being the norm
and indirect aggression being punished. Peer rejection kept members who violated
group norms in line. Various types of peer pressure, ranging from slight frowns to
ostracism, enforce them. Group members, particularly new ones, need to be aware of
group norms because to violate them may mean punishment, loss of influence, and
perhaps exclusion from the group.
Norms develop in virtual groups, too. For example, student groups devise their
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own ways of using e-mail. Some groups used it to chat, others to coordinate sched-
ules, and others to talk to those who were not present. Further, conformity to the
norms increases over time.
Norms often are developed rapidly via the structuration process described ear-
lier, often without members’ realizing what is occurring. The group’s first meeting is

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