The breadth of normative standards: Antecedents and consequences for individuals and organizations

•Normative standards are benchmarks to which people, social roles, and organizations are held.•We propose a novel construct—breadth of normative standards—or the number of criteria that must be met.•People from Asian (vs Western) countries have broader normative standards.•The broader people’s normative standards, the more attentive they are to details.•The broader people’s normative standards, the more options they search before making a choice.