More on Apologies

Several weeks ago, I posted about apologies in the business (and legal) world in my post, Is It Time To Issue An Apology? based on an article I saw in the Harvard Business Review. The June issue of Inc. Magazine had a similar article, entitled, “Making Amends” in the managing column, by Alison Stein Wellner.

Wellner rightly focuses on the role of trust in business relationships, and says, “…mastering the art of the apology is crucial. Business relationships depend on trust. Violations of that trust – a missed deadline or a faulty product – can cause serious damage, putting entire relationships up for renegotiation.”

Citing a study published in the Journal of Management, Wellner indicates that the apologies which are the least effective are those in which the apologizer attempts to shy away from taking responsibility for the problem by shifting blame. The most effective apologies were those in which the offending party took full responsibility for their role in the problem, offered reparations and indicated the manner in which they intended to deal with similar problems in the future.

Of course, sometimes apologies can have legal consequences as well – sometimes they can be used against the apologizer in court, but in some jurisdictions, specific apologies cannot be used as evidence in litigation. As indicated in my previous post, some states specifically protect apologies in cases of medical liability in order to encourage apologies.

According to Wellner’s article, a study done by a professor at Illinois College of Law polled professionals about their reactions to apologies following an accident. Seventy three percent of the victims who received a full apology including acceptance of responsibility were inclined to accept a settlement offer.

I’ve seen lawyer-client relationships ruined because a lawyer has refused to apologize, or apologize effectively by accepting responsibility for an error made by the law firm. As a result, the client no longer trusted the lawyer, and the relationship was destroyed. But apologies that are not genuine are just as dangerous, particularly if the apology is made about something that the lawyer doesn’t intend to change. Sincere apologies can be enormously effective, if accompanied by a change in behavior. Apologizing and making the same errors over and over will erode trust just as effectively, if not more effectively, than not apologizing at all.