Social Norms?

In a presentation I gave the other day, I spoke about how social norms dictate a users behaviour in a computer based collaborative environment and therefore there wasn't the need for traditional management practices as governance by social norms had proved to be very effective.

But I wonder if there is a deeper driver other than social norms. I think that given the opportunity, most people want to do the right things rather than having pressure placed on them to do so; even if it’s as subtle as some social norms can be. To work harmoniously with other people and collectively produce work or ideas that are worth being proud of is a powerful motivation to participate. It feels great when you succeed and can share the success.

Also, and maybe it's me, but I think that this is where (most) people want to be -an environment where people want things to work, where people work at making things work, where people feed off team/shared triumphs and where there is communal understanding that this is the way we ought to do things, whether it be in the workplace, schools, social or community groups.