The group is at a familiar place. The performance pattern is consistent. Stable relationships give members a sense of belonging and identity. Members know what to expect, how to react, and how to behave. Implicit and explicit rules underlie behavior.
Members attach survival value to the rules, even if they are harmful.
For instance, the chief of an engineering group has an explicit rule all projects must be completed on schedule. When the flu halts the work of several engineers, the chief requires the group to compensate by working ten hours a day, seven days a week. After experiencing too many crises at both work and home, the engineers begin to bicker and the project falls apart. For this group, the chief's explicit rule about deadlines is their Late Status Quo. They don't necessarily enjoy the amount of work they had to do, but they know and understand what is expected of them.