OBNotes.htm Organizational Behavior Notes by Wilf Ratzburg: GROUPS AND CONFORMITY

.	CONFORMITY: adjusting one's behavior to align with the norms of the group
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.	Groups have the ability to change their members' thoughts, feelings, and behavior through various forms of social influence. Asch's research, for example, illustrates how groups encourage conformity and discourage nonconformity. When the majority of the members of a group made an obvious error, most subjects went along with the unanimous majority's judgments. On average, a subject gave a conforming answer on about one-third of the test trials. Asch concluded that conformity, which includes both conversion (or private acceptance) and compliance, is more prevalent than independence.
.	When do individuals display conformity or nonconformity? Group size: the larger the unanimous majority facing the lone individual, the greater the rate of conformity. Size of the minority coalition is critical as well. In some cases a minority can even succeed in influencing the majority. A consistent minority can influence the majority at a latent level. Status: People who are accorded high status in the group generally conform less than those who are low in status. (The concept of idiosyncrasy credits assumes that they are also protected from sanctions when they do display nonconformity.) Women conform more than men, albeit only in face-to-face groups. (Several studies, for example, suggest that women use conformity to increase group harmony, whereas men use nonconformity to create the impression of independence.) Age: Generally, older people are less likely to conform than younger people. Intelligence: Team members with higher intelligence are generally less likely to be conformist. Security of tenure: Persons new to an organization or team, particularly if they are on probation, are more likely to conform. (In essence, part of the probationary process is a test to determine if the new recruit will in fact "fit in" by adhering to the team's norms.)
When team members internalize a norm, it becomes a part of their total value system. People frequently follow norms (conform) not because of external pressure but because normative action is personally satisfying.	Why do people conform? Three basic factors generally operate in concert to produce conformity: 1. Norms cause us to feel, think, and act in ways that are consistent with our group's social standards. These standards, or norms, describe what behaviors should and should not be performed in any social setting. When individuals make judgments in groups, their judgments tend to converge over time as a norm develops. 2. Influence takes place whenever we look to others for information. In a group, the majority is influential because we assume that a large number of people can't all be wrong. On the other hand, a minority is influential because it prompts us to reevaluate our position. 3. Interpersonal influence includes persuasion, bargains, promises, and even the threat of rejection. Research analysis of group rejection of nonconformists shows that nonconformists are generally less well liked by others in the group and that communication with unyielding deviants eventually diminishes (at least when cohesive groups are working on relevant tasks). Some norms tend to be generalizable (albeit culturally determined) from one group to another - societal norms.
	The Norm of Reciprocity: Why are people kind to those who treat them with consideration but aggressive towards those who treat them harshly? The norm of RECIPROCITY encourages people to pay back, in kind, what others give to them. The Norm of Reciprocity plays an important role in the process of bargaining.
.	The Norm of Equity: Why do people respond negatively when they are underpaid or they feel that they are putting more time and effort into a relationship than their partner is? The norm of EQUITY defines a relationship as fair only if those involved receive an amount in return that is proportional to the amount they have invested. (See the Equity Theory of Motivation)