Effect of Elaborateness of Apology on Subsequent Disciplinary Action Considering Outcome Severity and Favorable Reputation as Moderators

• Published in: Business Communication Research and Practice Vol. 4; no. 2; pp. 104 - 114
• Main Authors: Lee, Jonathan C., Chang, Hyejung
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 한국경영커뮤니케이션학회 01.07.2021
• Subjects: 경영학
• ISSN: 2586-5293; 2586-534X
• DOI: 10.22682/bcrp.2021.4.2.104

Objectives: Both managers and scholars have strong reason to understand the human response of apology in different degrees and under different circumstances as a possible influencer of punishment of employees for violating workplace rules. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of apology on subsequent disciplinary action, considering different levels of elaborateness of apology, severity of outcomes, and favorableness of reputation. Methods: A 3 × 2 × 2 between subject factorial design experiment was conducted with 262 participants. The dependent variable was discipline, and three independent variables included the elaborateness of apology, the offender’s reputation, and the severity of outcome resulting from the violation. Collected data was analyzed using ANOVA and planned comparisons. Results: The claim that apology leads to less punishment was partially supported. Although there was no statistically significant support for an apology’s effect on a 6-item composite measure of disciplinary action, the effects of apology on individual items such as dismissal showed significance. There was also support for the effects of severity of outcome and reputation of the offender on the level of disciplinary action recommended. Conclusions: The results of the present study demonstrate that the issue of apology’s effect on discipline is more complex than once thought. Thus greater consideration should be taken in efforts to achieve a better understanding of its effects. KCI Citation Count: 0