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The reaction of the group to the person who deviates also highlights the power of the group.At some point in this process most people will simply go with the norm and all will be well with the group.A few people might try to change the norm.Although this might be possible, it has a low probability of success unless the person trying to change the norm has significant personal power, such as the ability to reward or coerce.Some people will do nothing and will be rejected by the group.It seemed that Joe had worked for Kevenson’s forever.Joe performed minimally but sufficiently to keep his job.Joe sometimes was late getting to work.He spent way too much time hanging around the coffee machine.People would look at Joe, scratch their heads, and wonder, How on earth does Ol’ Joe keep his job? But whenever there were new employees and they were learning the ropes, someone was sure to comment, Just don’t dress or act like Ol’ Joe.Joe was a house deviant, a person who violates norms but is kept around as an example of how not to act.If you have worked very many years, you have probably known a house deviant or two.Some people clarify norms simply because they do not conform to them.House deviants do not fit in, but they serve a useful role in the workplace.By their presence they make some norms more explicit.There are others who can violate workplace norms and be unaffected.Norms might apply differently to different people in the same work group.The Army installation had to be relocated and merged with the operations at another location.This move would take great planning and coordination across all functions.Jones was brilliant.He did more in four hours than most accomplished in eight.He needed only four hours of sleep and when he wasn’t sleeping, he was working.He had no family except his coworkers.Jones had a tremendous reputation for accomplishing the impossible efficiently and effectively.Jones developed the plan and scheduled a briefing for the general responsible for the move.His plan was superb and he knew it.Jones began his PowerPoint presentation and was on the third slide when the general interrupted him.Without batting an eye, Jones looked at the general and replied, Sir, the American taxpayer does not pay me because of the color socks I wear.They pay me because of what I can do for them, for you, and the United States Army.And that’s why I’m giving this briefing instead of somebody else. At which point Captain Jones turned back to his slide and continued his briefing.The general said nothing.Indeed, the plan was superb.Captain Jones had what Edwin Hollander called idiosyncrasy credits.7 Jones could get away with this because he was so good at what he did.He was so superior in his work and expertise that he could deviate from norms without any pressures being applied.So how do you get idiosyncrasy credits?By making contributions to the group that the group perceives as being significant.The more others see you as being vital to the effective functioning of the group, the more credits you earn.You earn chips through your contributions and you cash in some of the chips when you deviate from norms.You might think that you have made important contributions to the work group but the work group might not share that perception.Even so, the possibility that we can build idiosyncrasy credits and have a measure of freedom navigating the unwritten rules of the workplace is encouraging.Knowing how group norms influence individual behavior helps significantly in decoding the workplace.Norms often can explain why people do what they do, or how they do what they do.Additionally, the concepts of house deviant and idiosyncrasy credits help us understand how some among us ignore norms and suffer no consequences.There Is More to a Job Thanthe Job DescriptionCatherine was a college professor.Her position required teaching courses, engaging in scholarly activities, and participating in service to the college.Based on her experiences as a professor at other academic institutions, Catherine had certain expectations about how she should do her job.The academic dean and the president and other administrators had expectations.And, of course, so did the students in Catherine’s courses.Some wanted a demanding and rewarding learning experience, but others wanted to just pass the course and move along.Students varied in what they expected from Catherine in and out of the classroom.There were many different people who had expectations about how Catherine performed her work as a college professor.Every position, office, and job has requirements, that is, responsibilities, duties, and tasks to be performed.Several people can have exactly the same job title and job description, but that does not mean that they do the job in the same way.Each person enacts the position held.The office of President of the United States does not change from president to president, but look at the many different ways in which people have carried out that office.Roles are expected behaviors that are associated with specific positions.Many, if not most, have expectations about how you perform your job and each most likely perceives your role somewhat differently.Zoey was new to her job and it seemed everyone was eager to give her advice.One day an incident with a customer occurred.It was a type of incident that she was trained to report to her supervisor.A coworker chimed in, however, telling Zoey, I know we’re supposed to inform the boss whenever this happens, but it just happens every now and then, so usually we just don’t bother. Another coworker overhearing the conversation added, The procedure manual says to report it but nobody does.If we did, it would just make our job harder.Zoey’s coworkers were communicating their expectations about how Zoey was to do her job.If your antennae are not up, you could easily miss or dismiss them.But these tidbits can be useful information.They vary and even might be contradictory, but the information provides insight about what others expect of you and of potential sources of conflict.So do you go along with these expectations?Most likely you will find some to be beneficial and some not.Sometimes people will back off, and adjust their expectations.Other times they might increase their attempts to influence you.Through your actions you send messages about how you see your role.In response to your actions, others send you messages about how they see your role.Within an organization you might have several roles.Your primary organizational role is associated with your formal office or position, but you might enact other roles.In addition to the formal relationships in organizations, there are informal relationships.By the time we enter the workforce, most of us are pretty experienced at taking on roles, both organizationally and socially.We learn how to be a student, a club member, a soccer player, a band member, a gang member, and so on.Most people, regardless of whether they realize it, have stereotypic expectations about how men and women should act.Understanding the importance of organizational roles and the role episode model can be empowering.It enables us to decode what is happening around us and respond accordingly.Read the following words and ask yourself which you think are more likely to describe men?Which are more likely to describe women?Aggressive, works well with others, dynamic, good administrator, logical, perceptive, assertive, personable, forceful, tactful, true leader.Consistently most of my students see these words as either masculine or feminine.A supervisor can be fair in treatment, actively promote equal opportunity, and still manifest stereotypic tendencies without being aware of it.One example is performance appraisals.Consider leadership.Years ago Fortune had an issue that listed America’s Toughest Bosses. Why toughest?Why not most effective or most successful?In the 1920s, Mary Follett wrote about the assumption that you cannot be a good leader unless you are aggressive, masterful, dominating. She argued, I think, not only that these characteristics are not the qualities essential to leadership, but, on the contrary, that they often militate directly against leadership.5 Nearly a century later, many of us still think good leaders must be aggressive and dominant, characteristics people tend to associate more with men than women.With a few exceptions, such as nursing and teaching, a good manager is still perceived as predominantly masculine.6The reorganization was going to be challenging to say the least.Frank had to appoint someone to lead the effort.In his office with several senior officials, Frank asked for input.Frank, I think Bob Lewis would do a great job here.I think he’s ready for a big challenge.Let’s see what he can do, said Harry.Steve replied, Bob would probably do a good job but I think we ought to give Jane Kanady the job.Jane’s doing great work for us and showing real leadership.I’m going with Bob Lewis.There will be other opportunities for Jane.Variations on this theme play out behind closed doors, contributing to the glass ceiling that women face.Strategies that encourage equal opportunity for all positions could find a disproportionate number of women still seeking women’s jobs, such as those in human resources, personnel, or administration.Roles are major sources of stress in our lives.One of my first research studies years ago at the United States Air Force Academy posed this question to my classmates.Most gave answers such as cadet, brother, son, friend, athlete, and pilot. All of these are roles.A great source of stress comes from conflicts among these roles, conflicts that we sometimes cannot resolve.8The soccer game for the league championship was to begin at 6:00 p.m.Teresa’s boss informed her that the agenda for the meeting tomorrow had been changed.Teresa needed to finish her report so that her boss could review the numbers before the 9:00 a.m.Finish the report? she thought, I have hours of work left to do.If I don’t have it ready for the meeting, life could get pretty hard around here.How can she be a good mother and a good employee?There is only so much time in a day.I can remember a time in my life when I had to put in some extra long hours on the job for a while.I made a point of being home by 6 p.m.I remember patting myself on the back because at least I went home.My coworkers still were plugging away.Today I think about where I put my energies back then and I just scratch my head.There are no easy answers.There is only so much time and energy.Few of us can do it all.Sometimes we get conflicting messages or expectations from the same person.On Monday the boss tells you how she wants something done.On Wednesday she changes her mind, and tells you that she wants it done a different way.On Friday, she has thought about it and decided that the approach she suggested on Monday was probably the way to go, after all.For some supervisors and their employees, this intransender role conflict is a way of life.Barrows would be worth staying for a few more years, plus Chicago was a great city.Barrows was known throughout the corporation for his innovation and being able to make things happen.Barrows and had just as much power.Davis did not get along.In fact they hated each other.Barrows disapproved of and vice versa.After a few weeks of this Tom questioned his decision to work there.After he broke out in hives, Tom realized that he had had enough.Tom quit the job he had so looked forward to and retired to the sunny skies and beaches of southern California.Tom clearly had intersender role conflict.The stress from this conflict caused health issues and consequently changed his retirement plans.In our unwritten psychological contract there are performance expectations which we agree to without hesitation.In between is a gray area.