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Cultural Norms Norms are the agreed-upon expectations and rules by which a culture guides the behavior of its members in any given situation. Of course, norms vary widely across cultural groups. Americans, for instance, maintain fairly direct eye contact when conversing with others. Asians, on the other hand, may avert their eyes as a sign of politeness and respect. Sociologists speak of at least four types of norms: folkways, mores, taboos, andlaws. Folkways, sometimes known as conventions or customs, are standards of behavior that are socially approved but not morally significant. For example, belching loudly after eating dinner at someone else's home breaks an American folkway. Mores are norms

of morality. Breaking mores, like attending church in the nude, will offend most people of a culture. Certain behaviors are considered taboo, meaning a culture absolutely forbids them, like incest in U.S. culture. Finally, lawsare a formal body of rules enacted by the state and backed by the power of the state. Virtually all taboos, like child abuse, are enacted into law, although not all mores are. For example, wearing a bikini to church may be offensive, but it is not against the law. Members of a culture must conform to its norms for the culture to exist and function. Hence, members must want to conform and obey rules. They first must internalize the social norms and values that dictate what is normal for the culture; then they must socialize, or teach norms and values to, their children. If internalization and socialization fail to produce conformity, some form of social control is eventually needed. Social control may take the form of ostracism, fines, punishments, and even imprisonment.

Social Norms in Different Cultures Posted on April 20, 2011 Social Norms: The Western World vs. The Rest Different culturs have different social norms that many of outsiders may think to be odd. Some other cultures may get offended by some of our social norms and we also may be offended or appalled by their social norms. In Malaysia it is very common for someone to eat something like rice with their bare right hand. The reason why they eat with their right hand and not their left is because they use their left hand to take care of bathroom needs. So its understandable why they would get offended if you used your left hand to shake hands. In middle-eastern countries, many females wear a Vail. It is not just a religious peace of clothing but a cultural peace of clothing, just how in America, we wear jeans. When many foreigners come to the western world they are shocked at the clothing Americans wear. We do not always cover much of our bodies and they think that is offensive while Americans think its completely normal. I think people need to be less ignorant and more understanding of other cultures. Even if you didnt know about the social norm, if you see something thats different, dont judge it. Be a little less narrow-minded and accept people for who they are instead of judging them and assuming things when in reality you dont know anything, youre just talking out of your ass.

Five Signs of a Good Organization by Sharon Penn, Demand Media

Employees who have a sense of purpose is one sign of a good organization. Related Articles

The Five Top Qualities Needed for an Effective Leader to Facilitate Change in an Organization Signs & Symptoms of the Lack of Coordination in an Organization Five Qualities of Good Management A Good Profit Margin for a Nonprofit Organization Good Ways to Make Money as a Non Profit Organization Five Levels of Organization Activities In a healthy organization, employees and supervisors have the same goals, and everyone enjoys a feeling of inclusion and participation. Ideally, managers in a well-run organization listen to the ideas put forth by subordinates. By paying attention to signs of a superior organizational culture, an organization can stay on track and accomplish its mission. Sponsored Link

Emphasis on Purpose A good organization has a clearly defined purpose and cultivates the attitude that purpose is more important than process. That means that supervisors stay focused on how effective employees are in doing their job, not just whether or not they followed procedure to the letter. Sometimes that means that the quality of the work trumps the quantity. It's not how many telephone calls the worker makes or how many pages his report contains --- it's how successful the calls were and how efficient the report is. Happy Employees Another sign of a good organization is the happiness or fulfillment of the employees and an absence of fear. Satisfied employees are more willing to "go the extra mile" for the organization by staying late and pitching in without being asked. The organization benefits with increased performance and competitiveness. Effective Leadership Style There are a number of leadership styles that work, as well as some that don't. The authoritarian leader who exercises power over subordinates just for the sake of it undermines the system. Effective leaders are able to create a team and encourage employees to pool their talents and come up with creative solutions. Supervisors might act as coaches by allowing employees to work on their own but making themselves available to help should a difficult situation arise. Adaptability To compete effectively, organizations must be adaptable to a changing environment. The organization has to be capable of seizing an opportunity and dealing with unexpected problems. This means that precedence isn't valued over flexibility: It's not enough to do something because it was always done that way. Realism Another sign of a good organization is that it's realistic. A successful organization is able to analyze data and make adjustments accordingly, as opposed to giving a glowing report when times are tough. Facing difficulties with realistic solutions and not going through the motions without any substance may doom an organization to failure. Reality is more important than form.