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Question from second slides: How can you induce critical thought norms in organizational teams?
I like Starleisha's idea to give everyone a chance to voice their opinion, each team about a different idea, and then bring the teams together for discussion.
I think a company would have to have some brainstorming/ collaborating guidelines to make everyone feel safe voicing whatever they think, for example explaining that in brainstorming there are no bad ideas because whatever pops into your head may lead to some other important idea.
I read about Ray Dalio's "radical transparency" and "algorithmic decision making", and how he uses these ideas in his company to allow everyone to express an opinion even if it opposes the CEO, and they then
consider everything in their decision making.  It might be helpful to model something after that, although it seems a bit complex.  (Tedtalk: https://www.ted.com/talks/ray_dalio_how_to_build_a_company_where_the_best_ideas_win#t-8737 )

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Slide 4- Employees should never wear casual attire to the office, but the boss is never in on Fridays, so they are able to get away with it. Injunctive- The employees know it's wrong to dress in jeans on Fridays. Descriptive- 9/10 employees do it, so it's OK if I do too.

Slide 7-

1. Descriptive Norm- Nearly 50% of employees that fill out engagement surveys are falsely answering the questions.
2. Constructive Norm- Those that are falsely entering information will most likely answer the questions in the engagement survey accurately in the future.
3. Destructive Norm- Those that never falsely answered questions from the engagement survey may begin to do so.
4. Injunctive norm- Message from HR- "Thank you to all of the employees who took their time to really think about the questions and answered the survey in a truthful form."

Slide 8- The individuals that you are working with every single  day are the ones that hold the most power in organizations. The have the power to motivate you, to push you further, and to make you see things from a different perspective.

Slide 10- Contextual similarity can be used
to motivate employees to follow norms. Employees need to understand that the norms aren't particularly negotiable. At the same time, being rewarded every now and then for properly carrying out daily functions and tasks is not a bad idea. Rewards and acknowledgement is a key motivator in the workplace.

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Slide 4:
An example of descriptive and injunctive norm is that employees should not start arguments/conflicts during work hours, however, some employees still do because they let their emotions gets in their way or they bring their outside problems into work.

Slide 7:
Descriptive: All tools/hardware in the model shop are prohibited and should not be used without permission.
Constructive: Those employees that were using the tools previously, stopped using them because they are now aware of the fact that those tools should not be used.
Destructive: Those employees that weren't using the tools before, are now aware and will probably start using them even without permission.
Reconstructive: Tools/Hardware in the model shop are prohibited and should not be used without permission. For all employees that were asking for permission previously, thank you for your cooperation."

Slide 8:
I believe that the most powerful groups in organizations are executive/top management and team leads because these are the people that employees tend to look up to and want to learn from. Therefore, it is important for them to lead by example.

Slide 10:
In most jobs, employees tend to be grouped by their field of work (for example in my job, all the welders work together, the technicians work together, the assemblers work together, etc...). I think this is one of the most effective ways employees can be motivated because all the employees can motivate one another and they can learn from one another. Also, they already have one thing in common so it's all a matter of time for them to know about each other's similarities.

As far as the second part of that question goes, I don't quite understand what that question is asking.

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descriptive norm: most employees don't check all their work emails so they aren't prepared for any unusual events
Injunctive norm: employees should check all their work emails so that they are on top of the scheduling

descriptive norm: people leaving work early
constructive: people who don't leave early have a chance to be recognized for their personal accomplishments
deconstructive: less work gets done over all because of all the people leaving early
pair: managers give promotions and recognition to people who stay the full workday
I believe people follow the reference group closest to them because it is within their sight so they are literally going to stand out if they act differently

I think organizations should highlight people with accomplishments at the company either through newsletters or staff meetings so that people will know who management wants them to emulate and see those people.

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Slide 4:
Employees are not allowed to wear leggings unless worn with a dress (inductive norm), but many employees wear leggings with long blouses (descriptive norm)

Slide 7:
- Workplace Example: Memo goes out that says "Employees take an average of 3 personal days/sick days every 4 months"
- Constructive: Those that take more, reduce the amount of days they take off from work
- Destructive: Those that have not taken this many days in this time frame decide to take more days off
- Reconstructive: Issue another memo recognizing that employees that are here everyday are appreciated and remind employees that sick/personal days are there for emergencies

Slide 8:
I believe that your reference group will be those that are in your immediate environment because it is most likely that these individuals are at the same job level as you are. With this, you are more likely to cluster your behavior with theirs because they are the ones you would identify closely with

Slide 10:
To use contextual similarity to get employees motivated into following norms, employees should feel that these norms are what is expected from them because these norms exist with those around them. By having these norms exist within their reference groups (i.e. those that they are contextually similar to), they will be more likely to resemble those normative behaviors. If contextual norms are different than those of the organization, this can be counterproductive to the organization. If this is the case, it should be addressed by those with high authority and are looked at as important because we learned that individuals are more likely to follow reference groups that are deemed important to the individual.

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Michael Nadelbach
SLIDE 4:
Descriptive Norm: an example would be if people leave work earlier than they are supposed to.
Injunctive Norm: an example would be when employees should try to come to work on time, but they do not.
SLIDE 7:
Descriptive Norm: workers try to work overtime hours to ensure the work gets done faster.
Constructive: those who don’t work overtime, find it harder to get tasks completed at a faster rate compared to everyone else.
Deconstructive: people who spend their time doing overtime work, work less.
Reconstructive: Workers that work overtime, will be appreciated it more and their work will be greatly appreciate and will not go unnoticed.
SLIDE 8:
I think the reference group will have more influence on work behavior because generally people do well when they associate with close friends and family.
SLIDE 10:
I think that employees will do well with a positive reward system. For example, when I used to be a teacher, I noticed that my students listened and did the work more often when I promised them rewards at the end of each lesson.

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1.     An example of a descriptive norm is when employees skip through slides of mandatory monthly trainings instead of reading the content.

2.     The norm is constructive because employees are able to devote more time to other important projects instead of taking up time on reading through the trainings.

3.     The norm is destructive because employees aren’t reading the content and therefore may not be reviewing the necessary skills to do their jobs correctly or their skills become stagnant.

4.     In order to reduce this destructive norm there can be a statement in the beginning of the training that states that staff who read and understand all the topics of this training benefit in some way. An example of a statement could be “support staff who read all the safe driving training slides have 20 % less driving accidents or offenses compared to staff that don’t read through the slides” followed by a required e-signature to confirm understanding.

Since the trainings are already time stamped so it’s possible to analyze and compare the data. Since the injunctive norm is that staff should be reading all the contents of the trainings.

Activity:

In the health and human services industry, the current contextual norm among direct-care staff is doing the most to provide opportunity for clients to live more person-centered lives. Person-centered means that clients focus on their own personal goals and what they want to live more satisfied lives outside the antiquated institutionalized perspective.

Working with clients to train them for employment creates a tension between client/staff contextual norm of the person being the focus. When clients are interested in gaining competitive employment, they are now faced with the challenge of becoming part of a social group that they are no longer the main focus and their focus becomes providing value to a greater community.

An intervention can be a shift in care by instilling that clients have freedom of choice but also that they are part of a larger social group of which it’s their responsibility to provide value to. The abilities of a single individual aren’t the focus but the focus is on the evolutionary perspective of people helping others in their social group. In order to create an intervention, meetings among staff and clients should focus on individual goals and an individual’s contribution to a social group of some sort. The idea of focusing on providing value to others as well as the self will help decrease a self-directed mindset and increase contribution to improve social and workplace performance.

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Activity

1) How can you induce critical thought norms in organizational teams? You can induce critical thinking in organizational teams by giving individuals an equal opportunity to voice their opinions. The more suggestions being discussed, the better the feedback. Each team should focus on a specific issue and then bring all issue to the table.

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Apply to Organizational Setting

1) How could you use contextual similarity to motivate employees to follow norms? I think the management should implement mandatory guidelines and have a meeting once a month to go over those specific guidelines. This will encourage employees to follow the guidelines as they would feel they are being monitored by management.

2) What would happen if the organizational norm was different from the contextual norm? The organizational norm and contextual norm can both be revamped so they go hand in hand. This way employees do not feel that there is an entire shift within the organization.

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Can you think of a workplace example in your own organization?

1) The descriptive norm is employees are leaving work early.

2) It is constructive because “Those who do leave work early will start to stay to the end of the day."

3) It Is descriptive because “Those who do not leave early at the end of the day will start doing so because it has become the norm now.

4) Reconstructive: “Thank you for the employees who stay to the end of the day and prep for the next school day.”

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Slide 4
At my job, we generally (I say generally because we are supposed to but we don't 100%) are supposed to dress in formal attire because we work with high school students (we place them in internships, prepare them for interviews, help them with their resumes, etc.) so we can set a good example how they should be dressed at their work space. However, one staff member tends to deviate from the formal attire and wears TOMS to work. Though comfortable, they are not considered appropriate work shoes, some staff members started wearing the shoes to work.

Slide 7
'We notice that employees are leaving before the closing hours of 6pm"

Constructive: Those who have been leaving early will be mindful about the time and leave when they are supposed to.
Deconstructive: Those who never left early start to leave earlier than usual because they notice that other staff members are doing it, so why can't they?
Reconstructive: "Thank you to the employees who are with us until closing hours, sometimes past. We truly appreciate your dedication in working towards our mission"

Slide 8
I think that the most powerful group in an organization are those who have been there the longest. They are usually the people that leadership or staff go to when they need advice or help on something that involves the organization.

Slide 10
Motivating employees to follow norms can be done if someone they closely relate to follows the norm. At work, there are often people who connect with certain co workers compared to others due to similarities they share.

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example of descriptive: driving over the speed limit because everyone else does it in NY.
example of injunctive: driving the speed limit because you feel it is the right thing to do in NY.
workplace example--
descriptive norm: the employees who had sales above their goal were never on their phone at work
constructive: employees will be determined to meet sales above their sales goal and not be on their phone.
destructive: employees who always meet or go beyond their sales goal will use their phone because they feel people use their phone at work and they want to too.
reconstructive: thank you to employees who do not use their phones at work to contact customers at work on the sales floor. We appreciate that you use our connected system.

what predicts which reference group's norms are most likely to be influential? powerful people or leaders: can be positive or negative. most likely positive actions or behaviors. if you see someone working hard at your job and getting complimented and raises, you will be influenced by that behavior.

contextual norms in org setting---
i would use this as a way to increase work productivity. people are influenced by others especially if it is positive, and they are similar and close to one another.

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I completely agree with Labiqa and Gigi both. Implementing a rewards system will create a positive competition the employees resulting into motivation and organizational growth.

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Slide 4

An example of Injunctive and descriptive is

·      Even though we shouldn’t be using our cell phones on class many of us do anyways.

·      The Injunctive part is the thought of its not right to use our cell phones but descriptive is people do it anyways its considered normal acceptable behavior amongst the students in the classroom.

Slide 7

1.     Descriptive: on average 25 percent of the people print non-work related things over the year at the office to save copying and printing costs”

2.     Constructive: Those that print non-related work stuff at the office will stop printing or reduce printing

3.     Destructive: “Those that never print from work start printing since they see that 25 percent of the people do it and its acceptable”

4.     We are thankful to the employees that utilize work related equipment for office purposes only. Please keep up the great work.

Slide 8

I think the most powerful group is the one that’s on an eye view but not in direct contact with you. When I am at work, I find the people that are executives sitting in an office maybe nearby have a big influence over the employees in my branch. This is because they pose this role model like quality that everyone wants to achieve which automatically derives with power. When the executives sit together and especially get a long and express work that needs to be done. I automatically consider them as powerful group.

Slide 10

I believe teams can be motivated if they have a role model like team quality in the higher ups. In an organization if the executives are working together and creating a great team like dynamic they can motivate other teams to achieve goals and try to use them as a standard. Basically, the executives modeling a team behavioral standard to influence other teams to achieve higher goals.

If employee norm isn't going hand in hand with the organizational norms. This can create a dysfunction in the workplace. This will have an emotional impact on the employee since they wont be able to fit in and it will impact the organization negatively since the employee wont be able to work towards making the organization better as a whole.

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1. Example: Employee should not be late to work, but many do arrive late.
2. Some people steal money from the bank
Descriptive: Those that never steal money will start to because it is what others do.
Constructive- Those that steal money will stop
Reconstructive- Some people steal money from the bank and thank you to those who never have.
3. I think this is the case because those are the people you are surrounded near everyday. Those are the people you begin trusting and bonding with and so when they do something you start to believe that it is okay to do is yourself.
4. You could use contextual similarity to motivate employees by showing them the behavior you would like them to do. Make them feel "targeted" that it is personnel for them.

[Response from  David S. - I totally agree that this is the way that contextual similarity works. By specifying who has done previous actions, it makes you feel like more of an 'outsider' by not following.]

5. I think there would be a miscommunication and things would not be properly done. Nothing would change and the it would greatly effect the company .

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I like the idea of a reward system! But it might get hard to manage, especially if the company grows larger, as you would have to keep that reward system in place for forever because if taken away, people may not see the importance in following the rules.

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Slide 4:
Employees should dress professionally (injunctive) but many do not (descriptive)

Slide 7:
Descriptive Norm: Employees, on average, spend about an hour of work on social media.
Constructive Norm: Those that spend over an hour on social media will cut back.
Destructive Norm:  Those that never go on social media during work hours, will begin to do so.
Injunctive Norm:  Announcement: “Please be aware that spending time on social media during work hours in not appropriate and thank you to those that only focus on work during work hours”

Slide 8: I believe that the team you are closest with and work together with on a daily basis is your most powerful influence. This is because people are naturally influenced by those around them and the more time you spend with someone, the greater the influence they have over you.

Slide 10: I agree with what Gigi said about having a rewards system. You could use a reward system to motivate employees to follow norms. Once they see that others are being acknowledged and praised for their behavior or actions, employees will be motivated to behave similarly.  If the organizational norm was different from the contextual norm then that would be a huge problem for the organization. If employee behavior does not align with the goals of the organization then that will have a negative impact on not only the workplace environment but also on the organization as a whole. I agree with Diane that this would hinder effectiveness and bring about discord.

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Slide 4:
Descriptive Norm Example- everyone in the office leaves early on fridays.
Injunctive Norm - employees should not come into work late but many often do.

Slide 7:
Descriptive Norm - workers on average work  20 hours overtime per school audit season to ensure work gets finished.

Constructive - those that don't work over time and are finding it hard to complete tasks start working more overtime

Deconstructive - those that work more overtime hours work less.

Reconstructive - "Workers on average work  20 hours overtime per school audit season to ensure work gets finished, but those who go above and beyond and work more than those 20 hours we greatly appreciate you. You work does not go unnoticed."

Slide 8:
I think the reference group will have the most influence on workplace behavior because, like majority of us have said, the more you associate and grow close with a group of people, the more you identify with and begin sharing common point of views that also help shape behavior.

Slide 10:
I had a hard time fully understanding this question to be honest.

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That was a really good example Kamila! Regarding the salary workers coming in late and leaving early.

Then to be reconstructive someone could say "We truly appreciate those who we've seen working from 9-5 here everyday. Thank you for your efforts."

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Slide 4: Example of Descriptive Norm- everyone cusses in the office, so you see it as an acceptable act and you end up doing it as well. Injunctive Norm- If there is a dirty dish in the sink of the break room at work and you wash it because you know it should be done.

Slide 7: In My Own Environment

Descriptive norm- It isn't necessarily allowed to wear open-toed shoes at the office but little by little, everyone start to do so. Announcement: “Many employees have been seen wearing inappropriate clothing to work.”

Constructive: Those who have been dressing inappropriately to be more aware of their attire.

Destructive: Those who have been dressing appropriately might become more relaxed with their attire since most employees around them seem to be as well.

Injunctive: Announcement: “Please abide by the work attire guidelines required of you, and a thanks to those who continue to comply with it.”

Slide 8: The team that you are working directly with will influence the way you behave in the workplace because you identify most with them. It almost functions like a clique. You will do what they do so you can feel accepting into a subgroup at the office. It’s an evolutionary survival instinct to want to be a part of a group.

Slide 10: I would incorporate the reward system to encourage a group to follow team norms. For instance, I would offer a reward to the team if all of them were to never break a rule for a specific amount of time. This would encourage them to all abide by this rule and it would become the team norm.

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Slide 4 Question:
My example for the injunctive and descriptive norms is workplace attire. The injunctive norm may be that all employees should be coming into work wearing suits and extremely professional workplace attire. However the descriptive norm may be that all the employees just wear jeans and a collared short to work. The should be dressing professional but the example of others shows something else.

Slide 7 Question:
The descriptive norm in my workplace would be texting while working. We are told that our phones should be away unless there is an emergency, however, many of the employees on my level are texting and using their phones. If we are told that other employees in other departments don't use their phones during work then that could be constructive in my department, making use realize it is not okay and to not be texting. However, if that other department hears the same message they may begin to use their phones (destructive) because that is what everyone else is doing. The injunctive norm is our bosses telling us that phones shouldn't be used by anyone unless for an emergency or workplace need.

Slide 8 Question:
I think that the most direct reference groups to an employee are the ones that will influence that specific employee the most. These are the people that employees work with the most, interact with on a daily basis, have a higher chance of getting to know on a personal level, etc. These are more personal connections rather than a person who they know of but have never met. That is why these reference groups are the most influential.

Slide 10 Question:
You can use contextual similarity to keep people thinking that they need to follow what their "equals" are doing in the workplace. People will follow the herd (like we just learned) and if they believe that a majority of employees in their IT department or in their HR department are not stealing office supplies than they won't as well. If there is an organizational norm that all employees must dress in business attire at work, but then the HR department only wears casual work attire, eventually a new HR employee will only wear casual clothes. That employee will follow the others that are closest to them. If people in HR are doing it and not getting reprimanded, they will do it as well.

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The reference group that is the most impactful are those who are closest to you. I think this is the case because this is the group that an individual would relate to the most due to them having similarities. It is these groups of individuals that we would want to evaluate our characteristics as well as sociological attributes.

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An example of injunctive and descriptive norm would be "Employees should not have other employees clock out for them so they can leave early (injunctive) but many do (descriptive)."

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Slide 4 -
Another example would be - workers should not take personal calls during work hours (injuctive), but many do (descriptive). Any time that there is a gap between common practice and common morality, there will be a difference between injuctive and descriptive norms.

Slide 7:
Descriptive Norm - Staff spend about 50 hours preparing curriculum for their classes at my summer program.

Constructive - Those that were planning on preparing less will prepare more.

Destructive - Those that were planning to prepare more will prepare less.

Reconstructive - The average staff member prepares for about 50 hours, but those that do a spectacular job spend about 70.

Slide 8:
I think that the refrence group to which you are closest will have the most impact on your behavior because they are the people whose opinion you value the most. If they were to disagree with your actions, it would be a lot more painful than someone who is not as close.

Slide 10:
The goal here is to get a certain team to rise above organizational standards. To do so, I agree with Diane that the most effective way is to do the behavior yourself. Others will see you as a refrence and follow along. If organizational standards are different than the norms in overall society, one can mention that in conversation, about how we can rise above standards, as the rest of society does. [To be honest, I did not really understand the question. If someone can explain, that would be great!

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Question 1: "According to policy, employees should be taking 45 minute lunch breaks, but many actually take an hour."

Question 2:
Descriptive: Many employees take an hour lunch break.

Constructive: Those who usually take longer than an hour will now limit their break to an hour.

Destructive: Those who follow policy and take 45 minutes will now start to take an hour.

Reconstructive: Many employees have been taking an hour lunch break, but thank you to those who limit themselves to 45 minutes. We appreciate your dedication.

Question 3: I think that your team would be the most powerful influence. Those are people that you interact with the most and also their job positions are at a similar level to yours, so one is likely to see more similarity between themselves and teammates rather than themselves and a manager.

Question 4: You could use contextual similarity to motivate employees to follow norms by modeling the appropriate behavior yourself.

Question 5: If the organizational norm is different from the contextual norm, then I think there would be discord and procedures wouldn't be followed appropriately, and the effectiveness of the organization may be threatened. The employee's actions wouldn't be aligned with the organization's strategies which would most likely hinder effectiveness.

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slide 4: Employees are told not to dress causal,(injunctive) but many workers do.(descriptive)

slide 7:
descriptive norm: many employees surf the internet during working hours.
constructive norm: Those who are not doing their work start getting fired.
deconstructive:Those that don't get fired many still surf the web while working.
reconstructive: thank you to those employees who respect the work hours and remain on task through out the day we really appreciate it.

slide 8: i think those who you constantly surround your self with have the most influence on you. You are around them all the time so you naturally pick up the same habits and so on.

slide 10: I tried to give different examples for earlier examples. But having trouble with this question.

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Question: What do you mean in the second slide when you ask one person in each group to upload the organizational diagnosis project by the end of today? I thought it was due next week.

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Slide 4: Workplace norms:
Employees should not be on social media during work hours (injunctive) but many regularly do when higher up management (boss/ manager) is not around (descriptive).

Slide 7: Workplace examples
Descriptive norm:
Many employees that are paid a salary come to work late and leave work earlier then supposed to.
Constructive norms: Those that come come late and leave early might start coming in on time and leaving at a proper time because others are being recognized.
Destructive norms:
Those that are salary and come in on time may start to come in late and leave earlier because it is allowed.

Slide 8:
I agree with Rachel and Many of you that have also said that the team you are closest with has the most influence on you because you are constantly around them. I also believe that when someone is in a new place and they want to fit in they can easily be influenced by those around.

Slide 10:
Gigi, I think the reward system is a great idea. I think people are more motivated to do the right thing when there is reward involved. I also think that when people see others getting a reward and they know they too can, this will help motivate people to follow.

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Is the quiz on blackboard or next week?  I don't see it.

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I'm not sure I get how to apply this. Maybe: "Lately projects have been submitted late, and we appreciate when we receive finished projects by the due date. Team 15 gets things done on time to support the organization's success!" I think if the team 15 norm was actually to submit things late, they might find this silly or manipulative, or maybe it would help, I am not sure.

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Is it ethical to psychologically manipulate someone to follow a made up injunctive norm such as "room 200 recycles?"

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Workplace norms slide 4: Employees should come in to work on time (injunctive) but many regularly come in late (descriptive). ( I wrote this before I saw the next slide)
Slide 7 Workplace examples:

Descriptive norm:  “Many employees make personal phone calls during business hours.”

Constructive:  Those that make these calls might start cutting back.

Destructive: Those that don’t might start making personal calls.

Constructive: Add, “and we appreciate those who wait for their break to make personal calls.”

Injunctive: Don’t make personal calls during business hours.
Slide 8:  I Would think the team you are closest to has the most influence because you see them and they see you day to day, so you feel most affected by their reactions rather than by someone from afar.

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At the bottom right corner is the + button. You can click that and add your responses to the questions I asked in the PowerPoint. Also feel free to ask me questions about the lecture or to add additional examples.

I would also like you to comment on someone else's post if you find it interesting or know the answer to their question.

Please be sure to type your name before you write your response!

-Amy