Who Moves the Social Norm Needle? The Impact of Rank and Punishment on Descriptive and Prescriptive Norm Perceptions in Organizations

Abstract: While substantial research highlights the role of social norms in behavior regulation, less is understood about how norms are perceived following the observation of organizational punishment. The process of determining norms is shaped by social-psychological influences, including rank. This study addresses this gap by examining how perceptions of prescriptive and descriptive norms are shaped by the level of punishment, depending on the rank of the punished individual. Using a series of online scenarios, changes in pre- and post-punishment norm perceptions were measured. The results show that while lenient punishment makes unethical behavior seem more common than before, medium and strong punishment increasingly makes unethical behavior seem both uncommon and unacceptable. Punishing low-ranking individuals reduces perceived commonness of unethical behavior, while severe punishment for high-ranking individuals increases perceived unacceptability. However, there is an interaction where severe punishment for a high-ranking individual makes a behavior particularly unacceptable.

Keywords: Rank, Organizational Punishment, Social Norm Perception