Implicit Norms Made Explicit

Definition

In colocated teams, workplace norms are absorbed through observation and informal conversation. Virtual teams cannot rely on this cultural osmosis, so teams must explicitly write down communication norms (email response timeframes, subject line conventions, when to use which tool), meeting guidelines, decision-making authority, and behavioral expectations. This is especially critical in multicultural teams where "the rules are generally implicit; that is, 'everyone knows to do X, not Y.'" across different cultural contexts.

In the Book

Chapter 2 directly addresses this: "One challenge to working with other cultures is that the rules are generally implicit; that is, 'everyone knows to do X, not Y.' However, in multicultural teams, behavior X might not be the same in situation Y for everyone. For example, the importance of being on time varies from culture to culture, as do many other aspects of doing business. Making these expectations explicit in the beginning helps to alleviate potential conflicts."

The book recommends managers "facilitate an open discussion about team expectations. During the initial meeting, after some teambuilding time, ask team members what kind of team they want to be and what they want the work environment to be like. This helps identify what the team members expect from themselves, each other, and you. Encourage members to speak freely by using active listening and by incorporating suggestions into the team guidelines."

Chapter 4 provides concrete examples: teams should establish email guidelines including subject line conventions (e.g., prefacing each with [project name], or using tags like [budget], [schedule]), define email response timeframes ("emails be answered within one working day"), specify when "reply all" is appropriate, and clarify when meetings are truly necessary versus when information could be shared asynchronously.

The book also addresses meeting norms: "For voice-only meetings... review the following guidelines with the team at the beginning of each meeting: Preface all comments with your name. Never speak when others are speaking. Use the mute feature when not talking... Remember that others cannot see you... Let the rest of the team know if you have to leave the meeting."

Why It Matters

This concept recognizes that virtual teams lack the ambient feedback that helps people self-correct. Someone who sends too many emails, uses email for urgent matters, or dominates meetings might get subtle cues in a colocated setting ("we're all tired of your messages") but won't notice those cues in a distributed team. By making norms explicit, teams prevent misunderstandings, reduce the need for conflict resolution, and create a level playing field where everyone understands the rules. For multicultural teams, this is essential: what seems like rudeness or disrespect in one culture might be directness in another. Writing norms down creates a shared reference point that doesn't rely on any single culture's implicit assumptions.