A discussion of concepts related to group effectiveness, behavioral norms and emotional intelligence, as well as a related exercise for groups to conduct in 60-90 minutes.

1. Group Dynamics:
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Norms & Emotion

2. EQ and groups
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3. EQ and groups
Druskat & Wolff
Effective teams
Participation, cooperation, collaboration
Can’t mandate these behaviors
Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups, Harvard Business Review, 2001

4. EQ and groups
Essential conditions…
Mutual trust
Group identity (Feeling of belonging)
Group efficacy (Belief in value of the team)
Strongly affected by group EQ

5. EQ and groups
Individual EQ
Emotional awareness
Emotion regulation (≠ suppression)
Inward (Our emotions)
Outward (Others’ emotions)

6. EQ and groups
High EQ individuals ≠ High EQ group
Group norms determine group EQ
Create awareness of emotion
Help regulate emotion

7. EQ and groups
Photo by Wilhelm Joys Anderson [link]
Ability to identify productive
norms & make them explicit
Norms regarding emotion
awareness & regulation
Mutual trust,
group identity, group efficacy
Participation,
cooperation, collaboration
Effectiveness

8. Norms worksheet

9. Norms ≠ rules
Norms are social regularities that individuals
feel obligated to follow, and patterns of
behavior based on shared beliefs about how
individuals should behave.

10. Norms ≠ rules
Rules are what we intend to do or
what we're supposed to do or
what we aspire to do.

11. Norms worksheet
How often does the group engage in these norms?
Circle one point on each spectrum
Our answers will be disclosed

12. Find your partner
You’ll observe each other during the exercise
Then you’ll have a pair conversation
(There may be one trio)

13. Clear the space
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14. An exercise
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15. Group norms
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16. Group norms
Consider your responses to the worksheet
Some norms create awareness of emotions
Others help regulate emotions
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17. Stand behind the row of cones
Group norms

18. On each norm, place yourself on the continuum
Group norms
& pay attention to your partner

19. We never… We always…
Group norms

20. We never… We always…
Norms that create
awareness

21. We never… We always…
1. Spend time getting to know
each other personally.
Norms that create
awareness

22. We never… We always…
2. Ask how people are doing (e.g., check-ins
at the beginning of meetings).
Norms that create
awareness

23. We never… We always…
3. Share our thoughts and emotions
in the moment.
Norms that create
awareness

24. We never… We always…
4. Ask those who have been quiet
in a discussion what they think.
Norms that create
awareness

25. We never… We always…
5. Fully explore resistance to decisions.
Norms that create
awareness

26. We never… We always…
6. Discuss and evaluate our own
effectiveness as a group.
Norms that create
awareness

27. We never… We always…
7. Acknowledge and discuss the feeling
in the group in the moment.
Norms that create
awareness

28. We never… We always…
Norms that help
regulate

29. We never… We always…
1. Have clear ground rules for productive
behavior in meetings.
Norms that help
regulate

30. We never… We always…
2. Call out behavior that violates
those ground rules.
Norms that help
regulate

31. We never… We always…
3. Express acceptance of
others’ emotions.
Norms that help
regulate

32. We never… We always…
4. Discuss difficulties within the group
and the emotions they generate.
Norms that help
regulate

33. We never… We always…
5. Use playfulness and humor to
acknowledge and relieve stress.
Norms that help
regulate

34. We never… We always…
6. Express optimism about our
capabilities as a group.
Norms that help
regulate

35. We never… We always…
7. Provide positive feedback to
each other in the moment.
Norms that help
regulate

36. Discuss with
What norms are working well?
What norms are getting in our way?
How do our actual norms differ from our goals?
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your partner

37. Thank your
partner
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38. Group discussion
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39. Group discussion
What did we learn?
What’s working?
What’s not?
What might we do differently?

40. Photo by Andrea [link]
Pause & reflect

41. Pause & reflect
How did we just conduct this discussion?
What norms did we enact in the process?

42. For further
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reading
The Tyranny of Feelings
Rules Aren't Norms (On Company Values)
Safety Is a Resource, Not a Destination

43. Thank you!
Developed by Ed Batista:
www.edbatista.com/2021/04/group-dynamics-norms-and-emotion.html
Distributed under a Creative Commons license:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/us/
Photo by jm3 [link]