Team Norms: It’s OK to…

Every team has unspoken norms. This Play helps you turn invisible expectations into a shared, living list of “It’s OK to…” statements, so everyone knows what’s welcomed, encouraged, and supported.

PREP TIME

15m

Run TIME

75m

Persons

3-10

5-second summary

Brainstorm a list of behaviors your team welcomes.
Clarify and agree on what’s truly OK to do.
Use AI to help seed the conversation, then let the team own the final list.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Meeting space or video conference
Physical or digital whiteboard, like a Confluence whiteboard
Physical or digital sticky notes
Pens or markers if meeting in person
Timer

PLAY resources

User Manual

How to create team norms with “It’s OK to…”

Make the unspoken spoken and build team safety by making team norms visible and inclusive.

What is a team norm?

A team norm is a shared, explicit agreement about how people on a team will work together. They are sometimes referred to as “ways of working.”

For example:

“We don’t expect responses from teammates outside of work hours.”
“We document decisions in Confluence before moving on.”
“We admit when we don’t know something and ask for clarification or support.”
“We focus feedback on behaviors, not people.”

Norms can emerge informally or be set intentionally during a team session.

Why run this team norms Play?

Research shows that psychological safety is the #1 predictor of high-performing teams. Making norms explicit helps teammates feel seen, supported, and clear on what’s okay, especially in remote or distributed teams where hallway cues are missing.

When should you run this Play?

You can run this Play when:

Forming a new team
After a re-org or major change
When onboarding new members
If you sense unspoken tension or confusion about “how we do things”
Anytime you want to strengthen trust and clarity

5 benefits of visible and inclusive team norms

Builds psychological safety: People know what’s truly okay here.
Prevents future friction: Clear norms reduce misunderstandings.
Welcomes vulnerability: Encourages honest conversations.
Creates a living artifact: Norms evolve as your team does.
Supports inclusion: Makes space for diverse needs and working styles.

1. Prep the Play

Est. time: 15 MIN

First, nominate a skilled presenter and/or someone keen to build their presentation skills who can serve as a facilitator.

That person sends a one-hour calendar invitation to the team and sets up a physical or digital whiteboard, like a Confluence whiteboard, with two sections: “Our team’s existing norms and standards” and “Our team’s ‘It’s Ok to…’ list.”

As optional pre-work, the facilitator can also ask each person to create a User Manual. This helps ground the conversation in personal needs. Team members can refer back to their needs and preferences as they suggest items they’d like to add to the list of team norms.

2. Set the stage

Est. time: 5 MIN

Open the working session with a few obvious norms or standards already established. Record these on the whiteboard to inspire contributions.

If the group is quiet, use your AI tool of choice, like Rovo, to seed the conversation with a prompt like “Based on what you know about our team, what are some examples of things it’s OK to do here?” Curate and edit these examples to model the tone and categories you want (e.g., collaboration, learning, feedback, work-life balance, etc.).

3. Brainstorm individually

Est. time: 20 min

Next, give everyone 5–7 minutes to quietly write down statements on sticky notes that start with “It’s OK to…” Each statement should describe an action or behavior that they would like to see become a team norm.

Then, ask each teammate to share their notes out loud and place their sticky notes on the board.

Example

Sample list of brainstormed statements

tip: Encourage vulnerability

This activity works best when teammates feel safe naming what helps them do their best work. Set the expectation that there are no right or wrong answers, and this is an open space to share ideas.

4. Cluster themes and craft verbiage

Est. time: 20 min

As a team, group sticky notes into common themes. Then, decide together which statements to keep. You can use voting to narrow down the options.

5. Write “It’s OK to…” statements

Est. time: 10 min

Once the list is manageable, work together with each other and AI to write clear, actionable “It’s OK to…” statements for the list of norms. Don’t let the robots do all the work, though. Always keep the team’s authentic language and intent.

Example

Crafting teams norms

Tip: Accommodate for async

If async is the only option, create clear structure and documentation when inviting people to participate, and provide extra time for thoughtful responses.

6. Close the loop and share

Est. time: 5 min

Close the session by answering any remaining questions and planning next steps:

If needed, create a task to finish polishing the list of “It’s OK to…” statements.
Capture the list in your shared workspace, like Confluence, and link to the page or whiteboard in your team communication channel, like Slack or Teams.
Schedule a follow-up session in 6-12 months to revisit the list for changes or additions.

Variations

Working Agreements

Everyone has different working styles, but reaching your goals requires working together. Outline your team’s shared ways of working so you can set mutual expectations, save time, and collaborate effectively.

See Working Agreements Play