What is a Normative Organization?

Definition

The normative organization is defined as an organization where a large number of individuals join a group to pursue a shared goal. The membership of these organizations is voluntary because people believe that joining the group is socially and morally worthwhile.

The interest of such organizations lies in community services, environmental protection, social action, or supporting any other worthy cause.

What is a Normative Organization?

A formal organization is a secondary group that is structured in a manner that will help the members to achieve their goals with a minimum of fuss. These are large groups that integrate the right people, resources, technology, etc. to reach their desired objectives.

The formal organizations have managed to have a significant impact on every aspect of modern life because if you see around you will find that we are surrounded by several official organizations wherever we go like military, museums, hospitals, specific communities, etc. There are three types of formal organizations Coercive, Utilitarian and Normative.

Other names often call a normative organization for instance

• Voluntary associations
• Voluntary organizations

This type of organization is most effective in the real-world as it encourages people to pursue their moral commitments and goals reasonably. The members do not get paid for their effort and time; instead, they are committed because they want to do something worthwhile.

The normative organization is so successful because people come together due to shared beliefs and values. The most common examples of a normative organization are a part of a temple committee or a church and even political parties where workers work willingly for their candidate of choice.

In the normative organization, the members join voluntarily, and this gives rise to a strong community of voluntary helpers who are willing to go the extra mile to fight for their cause. The other essential characteristics of a normative organization are a strong sense of loyalty towards the organization and the purpose with which the members are associated, commitment towards the organization goal and greater involvement of the members.

Examples

One of the prime examples of a normative organization is the Red Cross, where you will find volunteers from most parts of the world joining the organization to fight common causes.

Another typical example of a normative organization is PFLAG, which is a non-profit organization working to support the rights of the LGBTQ community. Its objective is to offer education and make the members aware of their rights. This normative organization also serves friends, allies, and families of the LGBTQ community. The members join the group voluntarily as they share the same goals, objectives, and interests of the organization they are associated with.

MADD or Mothers Against Drunk Driving –The name suggests that MADD is a non-profit organization that was founded by a mom, whose 13-yar old daughter was killed because of drunk driving. This normative organization is created to prevent drunk driving, stop underage drinking and driving and implementing strict and robust rules for impaired driving policy.

Some common examples of the normative organization are as follows

• Habitat for Humanity
• Parent-Teacher Association or PTA
• Democratic political party
• Girls and boy scouts
• Civic groups
• Greenpeace
• College fraternities
• Religious organizations
• NAACP or National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People

Advantages

The various benefits of a normative organization are as follows-

• Shared goals – One of the advantages of a normative organization is that the members can work together for a common goal. This type of organization is a show of strength and commitment for a natural and common cause because the members identify with it and want to lend a supporting hand.
• Intangible benefits – Normative organizations offer intangible benefits to its members. This means that it does not provide a monetary or material reward instead provides the members with a sense of purpose, faith belief, values and the determination to do something for the greater good.
• Greater involvement – A normative organization is a voluntary group where members join the organization because they want to and not because they are paid or coerced to do so. For this reason, their participation level in all activities is much higher. The members want their organization to reach its goal and are willing to work extra to the best of their abilities so that they can make a difference to the vital cause.
• Loyalty – In a normative organization, you will find the commitment level of the members is much higher than any other kind of formal organization. The work environment in this type of organization is optimistic as hope and cheer are two of its most used mantras to achieve desired success. There is a sense of duty and commitment to the cause that gives the members an extra nudge to work diligently. Shared values are the reason why a normative organization comes into being. One of the most important benefits of a normative organization is the loyalty of its members that sees high retention rates, excellent attendance and better levels of productivity and efficiency
• Self-preservation – The advantage of a normative organization is that it helps to maintain the ideologies of the members and the organization by steadily moving towards its goals. The voluntary membership and acceptance from the members gives it a credibility that helps to reinforce its values and reach the set goals
• Mobility – There is greater mobility in a normative organization than any other formal organization. This is because the organization can count on the collective power of its members to accomplish their goals easily. These members are agile and mobile because their inner strength forces them to move forward. For instance, when you are a part of a normative organization that strives to stop drunk driving this is because of a reason, maybe you have lost someone near your heart, and this incident helps you to serve others with more mobility so that you can make a difference.
• Sense of belonging and purpose – Being a member of a normative organization gives a sense of belonging and meaning to its members. The membership is voluntary so the members must have joined the group for a reason. Shared beliefs, values, ideologies give momentum to their cause that helps in fulfilling the purpose effectively. The members are rewarded for their participation in such groups by acceptance from the society and a feeling of doing something worthwhile for a group, community or society.

Disadvantages 

The disadvantages of the normative organization are as follows-

• In some cases, it is seen that the organization is unable to come to a unanimous decision because the mantle of leadership is not at the hands of one person but is shared amongst many. This results in suggestions from every corner but not a practical and robust sense of decision-making
• The normative organization encourages participatory democracy, where every member has the right to voice his opinion. This looks very good in paper but proves disastrous when the organization is unable to come to important decisions and successfully implement them because of the difference of opinions.