Group Norms and Growth
Especially if a group of people works together over a period of time, it develops group norms or standards of behavior about what is good or bad, allowed or forbidden, right or wrong. There may be an explicit norm that group members are free to express their ideas and feelings, where as the implicit norm is that one does not contradict the ideas or suggestions of certain group members (usually the more powerful ones). The process consultant can be very helpful in assisting the group to understand and articulate its own norms and to determine whether those norms are helpful or dysfunctional. By understanding its norms and recognizing which ones are helpful, the group can grow and deal realistically with its environment make optimum use of its own resources, and learn from its own experiences.