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The Big Idea

MANAGING ORGANIZATIONS

The Organizational Apology

Maurice E. Schweitzer, Alison Wood Brooks,and Adam D. Galinsky | page 42

At some point, every company makes amistake that requires an apology—to an individual; a group of customers,employees, or business partners; or the public at large. And more often thannot, companies and their leaders fail to apologize effectively, if at all,which can severely damage their reputations and their relationships withstakeholders.

Companies need clearer guidelines fordetermining whether a mistake merits an apology and, when it does, for craftingand delivering an effective message. In this article, the authors present theirframework—the apology formula— to help companies navigate the tricky terrain.Leaders should ask themselves four questions:

• Was there a violation?

• Was it core to our promise or mission?

• How will the public react?

• Are we committed to change?

As a general rule, the more central to themission of the company the violation is and the more people it affects, themore important it is that the apology be pitch-perfect.

Once a company decides that an apology isnecessary, it needs to carefully consider the who, what, where, when, and howof executing it. For core violations, the “who” has to be senior leaders, the“what” has to show a tremendous commitment to change, the “where” has to be highprofile, the “when” has to be fast, and the “how” must be deeply sincere anddemonstrate empathy.

HBR Reprint R1509B