I am convinced that anyone who has some insight into the development of a culture can have a profound influence on it if they want to. Some persons will have a profound influence on the development whether they give it any thought or not. Let me explain.
As any social group forms, it develops it's own culture. The social group could be a class, a family, a new company, or even a new military unit. Probably most of the social norms will be taken from the surrounding culture but in many cases members of the group will establish a culture with norms that are at variance with the norm in the surrounding culture.
I am sure that most teachers insist that some aspect of behavior in their class is different than that of the "other" classes. I am sure that fathers, mothers, wives and husbands establish some norms for their own families that they perceive are different from norms in their neighbor's families.
After being transferred to a newly established organization every two or three years for about 15 years, I received some training in organizational behavior. Subsequently I taught a two week leadership course. Every month a new class was formed. Each one provided an opportunity to practice establishing a new culture. With some sense of what was happening and a new opportunity each month to try things and measure the effects, I became convinced that one informed, thoughtful individual in a position of influence could have a profound effect on the culture of a new group.
Following this teaching experience, I commissioned a new ship. I was in a position of influence and gave considerable thought to the culture I wanted to have on this new ship. Some behaviors I established simply by exemplifying them. I wanted the crew to be friendly, so when I went around the ship I smiled and greeted each person I met. I knew this was having an effect when visitors would volunteer that my ship had the friendliest crew they had ever encountered. I, and others, established high standards of performance as a part of the culture. The ship received numerous awards and accolades for the performance of the ship and crew.
Norms that benefit the group are much easier to establish than ones that do not. It is much easier to establish norms than change them. No one person will establish all the norms or culture of a group.
What does all this have to do with establishing norms in distance education? I believe that anyone who is interested and goes about it in a thoughtful way can have a profound influence on the culture of distance education. Identify the problems, devise effective solutions, and communicate them to the group. Members of the group will willingly adopt norms, behaviors, and conventions that make the group intercourse more effective and pleasurable.
Maybe this is based more on personal experience than theory. If it was my group and I was concerned about the culture, I'd do everything I could to influence the culture while it was being established and wait for the theory to catch up.