Team behavior is directly impacted by group norms, or the behaviors that are informally developed and accepted by team members. These norms can be influenced by conformity, deviant workplace behavior, status, and size.
Conformity within teams is stimulated by the desire for acceptance. Individual members of teams tend to behave the way that the team behaves in general, because the individual members believe that it saves them time and will generate success.
Deviant workplace behaviors are characterized as negative behaviors that can have disastrous effects on organizations and on teams. If these negative behaviors are supported by undesirable group norms, then the overall collaboration, motivation, and productivity of the team could be reduced.
The status or rank of individual team members can also influence group norms. Team members with a high status or high rank can exert pressures of conformity on other lower ranking team members. This can have a negative effect on productivity if the high-ranking individual practices deviant work behaviors.
Lastly, the size of a team also influences the team’s productivity. Smaller teams tend to be more productive than larger teams. However, as additional members are added to the small teams, productivity can decrease.
More information on team behavior can be found in our Lean Six Sigma course for Master Black Belts.
References
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