An effective apology has six components, science says
According to Roy Lewicki,lead author of the study and professor emeritus of management and human resources at The Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, apologies do work. For a more effective one, you should hit as many as possible from the following six key components:
1. Expression of regret
2. Explanation of what went wrong
3. Acknowledgment of responsibility
4. Declaration of repentance
5. Offer of repair
6. Request for forgiveness
While the best apologies contained all six elements, not all of these components are equal, the study found. “Our findings showed that the most important component is an acknowledgement of responsibility. Say it is your fault, that you made a mistake,” Lewicki said.
The second most important element was an offer of repair. “One concern about apologies is that talk is cheap. But by saying, ‘I’ll fix what is wrong,’ you’re committing to take action to undo the damage,” he said. The next three elements were essentially tied for third in effectiveness: expression of regret, explanation of what went wrong and declaration of repentance.
Lewicki and his co-authors tested the reactions of 755 people when presented with apologies containing one or more of the six elements. The studies involved 333 adults and 422 undergraduate students who were presented with the same scenario, wherein a job applicant committed a mistake in his previous job . When confronted, the applicant apologized. The adults were told that the apology contained one, three or all six components while the students read an actual written apology. They again rated how effective, credible and adequate the apologies would be.
The results were not identical but very similar. When the elements were evaluated one at a time, there was general consistency in the importance of the components across the two studies, with slight variations. Lewicki noted that, in this work, participants simply read apology statements. But the emotion and voice inflection of a spoken apology may have powerful effects, as well. “Clearly, things like eye contact and appropriate expression of sincerity are important when you give a face-to-face apology,” he said.
Source: Science Daily
