Developing group norms in groups is essential to establishing a productive and efficient work group. The expectations for interpersonal communication and relationships within a group help groups to accomplish goals, by creating an environment in which the group is able to function optimally. Group norms are sometimes defined explicitly, but are usually developed as the group evolves and are implicit. This is seen in a case study, in which the behavioural characteristics of a team were examined. “The results indicate that helping among team members was the most prominent group norm, and also suggest various situational factors may have encouraged helping behavior, including task flexibility, low task interdependence, asynchronous demand variability, …show more content…
There are many different reasons for which group members would not be motivated to conform, and although sometimes nonconformity can be constructive to the formation of new group processes, it is often destructive and can cause conflict within a group. The effect that nonconformity has on a group was studied in order to predict whether people were demotivated by norm conflict, or if norm conflict may motivate people to action. In this study a group faced conflicting norms of pro-environmental behavior, “toward the end of the worst drought on record in the region where participants resided”. Norm conflict was associated with decreased water usage. The study shows that nonconformity to this norm motivated action, suggesting that the effects of norm conflict on behavior occur to the extent that people feel that it is more effective for them personally to act. Although the effects of norms may be unique in domains such as environmental behavior, in which the personal and collective interest can be at odds, these findings show that people either make the attribution that not everyone is acting, therefore their own behavior will be ineffective, or that not everyone is acting, therefore their contribution is critical. consistent, and motivating, effects of conflict on both intentions and behavior. Accordingly, this example of non-conformity demonstrates that there are many elements that motivate group members, such as rewards, a sense of meaningfulness, choice, competence, and progress, but group members can also be motivated by the nonconformity of