Leader Apology Types as Trust Signals for Follower Forgiveness and Leader Effectiveness Ratings

Abstract

Despite evidence that apologies from leaders are associated with positive outcomes for victims, apologies are not always effective at restoring a workplace relationship after a transgression. Four studies examined whether and why different forms of leader apologies influence follower forgiveness and perceptions of leader effectiveness. We hypothesized that victims who received sincere (“complete”) leader apologies would be more forgiving and rate their leaders as more effective compared to different forms of leader apologies (i.e., amends, remorse, responsibility). We further theorized that this effect would occur because sincere leader apologies signal to victims that apologizing leader is trustworthy. An experimental study of CEO apologies following a corporate transgression (Study 1), a hypothetical scenario in which a leader committed a transgression (Study 2), a retrospective recall study with undergraduates (Study 3a) and employed adults (Study 3b), and a hypothetical study that manipulated leader trust (Study 4) supported these predictions. Specifically, the results showed that sincere leader apologies were more effective than other types of apologies at garnering victim forgiveness and ratings of leader effectiveness, and this direct relationship is mediated by leader trust. This research has implications for theory about forgiveness, followership, and management practice.