How Norms Influence Productivity - Essay Example

How Norms Influence Productivity Customer Inserts His/Her Name Customer Inserts Grade Course Customer Inserts Tutor’s Name 22, December, 2010 How norms influence productivity Introduction Norms can be defined as a given set of rules that act as a guide to the what societies or a group of people terms as good or bad in terms of behavior, beliefs and practices attitudes as well as values. Through norms, individuals making up a group are directed on what they or should not do hence failure to adhere to the set out rules may result into punitive actions being taken. Norms are also seen as rules that govern behavior and that guide how people interact with one another. Norms give a direction of how things need to be done and vary from one group of people to another. Productivity is the level of output an individual exerts in performing a given task or activity (Mundel, 1993). Norms have been found to have a huge influence on the level of individaul’s or group’s productivity. This paper looks at how norms affect productivity within a group of people sharing common beliefs, values and practices. Discussion Norms and Productivity The existence of a norm and the attitudes that flow from it are very significant. They can lead to promoting productivity and safety or restricting output. They can also assist in making decisions promptly or stifle opportunities, resulting in delays and creating incidents. A number of researches have been done to establish the relationship between norms and productivity. According to findings obtained, norms have a strong influence on a group’s productivity level as well as on the success of goal and objective achievement. According to findings obtained from a research done by, Christensen, Rothgerber, Wood, & Matz (2004) groups composed of members whose beliefs, values and practices were in accordance with the set out norms indicated emotions that were more positive as compared to those that acted in violation of the set out norms. These positive emotions acted as a motivating factor hence individuals in such groups were found to indicate high out put levels or productivity in undertaking their assigned roles and responsibilities. Positive emotions were in this case attributed to conformity to the norms. The identified norms were called injunctive norms: those whose focus is on the future or that are naturally theoretical. These norms give a description of the actions agreed upon by group members. Similar findings were also obtained for the descriptive norms which are responsible for identifying the members that are in support of the set out norms. The research indicated conformity to norms in terms of commitment to an identified in-group as compared to being a member of an out group. The effect that this has on productivity can be regarded as being ether negative or positive. The existence of conformity to an in-group’s set goals and objectives is a n important norm which results into greater productivity among group members and within a group as whole. This acts as a basis for increased level of production in a group. In contrast, if an in-group conforms to an identified norm, while their opponents/ out group have a workable solution or idea is likely to bring in negative impacts that will affect the level of productivity in a negative way. Conformity to norms is in this case likely to either enhance or reduce productivity. In another research study to identify the role that norms play in productivity, findings obtained showed that in situations where the established norms aimed at promoting critical thinking rather than for consensus during decision making processes, their was an improvement in the quality of decisions made within the groups thus indicating a positive impact on the productivity level (Postmes, Spears, & Cihanger, 2001). There are times when aggregate norms are dependent on the behaviors of individuals as well as on norms at other times. The various actions and behaviors of individual s are highly dependent on the identified norms and identified aggregated actions. One key way through which cohesiveness commits members to the group is through measuring of the level cohesiveness within the group. Though a direct relationship between cohesiveness and not productivity has not yet be established, cohesiveness way can be one way through which group norms can be enforced as well as reduce the level of performance. Generally, the impact of cohesiveness on the average speed of work is highly dependent on the norms that guide the operation of the Group. Cohesiveness is a good indication of how much time and effort group members will place in undertaking their various roles and responsibilities while norms indicate the direction of these efforts and how they affect the performance of tasks. In situations where the norms put in place increase the level of group productivity, then cohesion will be used to enhance these norms as well as to decrease line imbalance. Groups whose level of cohesiveness is determined by the assigned tasks have a higher likelihood of developing norms that are task related. In this case, the highest level of productivity can only be attained when the level of cohesiveness is high, matches with the designed task norms and when it is task based (Hackman, 1992). Norms are beliefs through which members of a group are able to relate to each other sharing common practices and enforcing that which they believe in. for the shared beliefs to be defined as a norm each member of a group should be able to equally share the same impression as all the other members hence they must all believe in a common action and level of output for successful achievement of required results. In such situations even individuals within the group who might seem slower in undertaking their assigned tasks will be influenced and motivated by their peers within the group to .work extra harder and be able to get a level similar or close to that of his or her peers. This high level of competition is a key to the increase on the level of group productivity as each group member works towards achieving the set out targets, then more and more work is effectively done to produce quality thus more is achieved. The establishment of norms within a group also requires that sanctions be put in place to ensure that deviation from the set out norms is punished and therefore discouraged. This means that as members try their best to ensure that their practices do not go against the group norms and as they work in accordance with what has been indicated as desired practices and norms they are able to work towards the achievement of the group goals, mission as well as productivity and hence increase productivity. There are numerous factors that influence togetherness within a group and how group members relate to each other in the performance of their various tasks. These include the number of individuals making up the group, gender; the size of the group’s working area as well as the group’s level of success. When different and interdependent tasks within a group are carried out as one and by members working together to ensure that each of these tasks is jointly carried out, then a sense of unity is created. This process of undertaking tasks ensures that each group member is actively involved. The active involvement of all members and the realization of the need to involve them in all stages of the process task undertaking is a major strength in the promotion of high productivity level. Active involvement the members in organizational projects does not only motivate them and improve their performance level but also make them feel that they are part and parcel of the entire project being undertaken as well as of the group. This further increases their level of commitment to their work (Cohen-Cole and Mas, 2007)` . Conclusion From the above discussion it is evident that group norms have a strong influence on the level of productivity and especially among groups. Norms spell out the way individuals making up a group should behave. It describes the values, beliefs as well as practices that members making up a group share. As a guide to behavior, norms dictate tasks to be effectively carried out by each individual towards the achievement of set goals and objectives and even puts up sanction measures to ensure that unadherence to the norms is punished. Sanctions by themselves act as a way of ensuring that each group member act as is required by the group and effectively carries out their assigned roles and responsibilities and hence promotes productivity from each person. Through norms, a sense of group cohesiveness is created. This in turn serves as a major strength in the enhancement of productivity. References Christensen, P. Rothgerber, H., Wood, W., & Matz, D. (2004). Social norms and identity relevance: A motivational approach to normative behavior. Personality and Social Psychology, 30(10), 1296. Cohen-Cole, E.and Mas, A. (2007). Social Norms and Productivity. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Hackman, J. (2002). Group influences on individuals in organizations. Palo Alto, Ca: Consulting Psychologists Press. Mundel, M.E. (1993). Improving Productivity and Effectiveness. New York: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Postmes, T., Spears, R., & Cihanger, S. (2001). Quality of decision-making and group norms. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 80(6), 918. Read More