Definition

People often decide what’s “normal” or “right” by copying what they see other people do.

How it shows up

In communities, this shows up as:

• People follow what gets approval (and avoid what gets judged)
• “People like us do X” becomes the standard, even without anyone saying it out loud

Community Intelligence Question

What behaviour is the community rewarding (and what behaviour is it punishing)?

Insight

Social norms don’t need to be stated. Repeated behaviour becomes the rule.