In the previous section we saw that not only character, but also environment, both situational
and systemic, affects people’s behavior. Since the organization for which someone works is
also an environment, and therefore also inluences their behavior, the question arises how
far this inluence stretches. As described in the introductory chapter, there are at least seven
distinct factors within organizations which inluence whether people do right or wrong.
The following eight chapters address the irst factor: the clarity of norms, values and
responsibilities. Clarity relates to the extent to which the organization establishes clear
expectations for directors, managers and employees. The experiments reviewed show how
environmental norms affect people’s behavior.
In chapter 9 we see how knowledge of norms inluences behavior, while in chapter 10 the
issue of afinity with norms is discussed. We communicate norms in the way we name things,
as will become clear in chapter 11. Chapter 12 shows that norms can go over the top, whereas
chapter 13 shows that norms can in fact incite the opposite behavior. Besides being couched
as formally written standards, norms are also present in behavior, as explained in chapter 14,
and in the design of the environment, as shown in chapter 15. Chapter 16 explains how we
can infer a person’s norms and values from the state of their ofice, and subsequently how
these affect the behavior of others.
9. Flyers and norms: cognitive stimuli
