Which concept describes the accepted patterns of behavior in a group that can slow adoption of new practices?

• A. Inertia
• B. Balance of power
• C. Group norms
• D. External pressure

Answer: (C)

Group norms are the unwritten rules and shared expectations about how members should behave, what they value, and how decisions are made within a group. When these norms favor sticking with established routines, they shape individuals’ actions so they conform to what’s normal rather than trying something new. Even when a new practice could improve outcomes, people may hesitate to adopt it because deviating from the accepted way of doing things feels risky, lookouts for approval, or demands extra effort to learn. In policing, for example, a department may have a norm of handling calls with a traditional approach; new de-escalation techniques or data-driven practices might spread more slowly until the norm shifts to routinely support and reinforce the new method.

Inertia covers a general resistance to change, but the term here specifically points to the social mechanism—the shared expectations guiding behavior. External pressure refers to outside forces, not internal group patterns, and the balance of power focuses on who holds influence rather than the accepted behaviors themselves.