The Chicago Tribune asks Johnson's Ben Ho to break down the science of apology

5/11/2011 4:09:00 PM

Story cites Ho's research and expertise in analyzing when and how to effectively apologize in business and legal situations

Excerpt from "Please accept my apologies for bringing this sorry subject to your attention," (Chicago Tribune, May 10)

Benjamin Ho, an assistant professor of economics at Cornell University, has studied the effectiveness of saying you're sorry in business and legal situations. One problem is that some fear an apology shows weakness.

Ho cited a study in which people watched two videos of former President Bill Clinton, one where he was talking about Monica Lewinsky apologetically and another where he was speaking angrily about the sex scandal.

The study found that as a person, people liked the apologetic Clinton, but as a leader they liked the angry one.

"An apology, it can make a person look weak and shows that they made a mistake," Ho said. "That leaves two possibilities — either he's incompetent or he's a bad guy."

That's why people in powerful positions tend to not make apologies quickly. They first have to weigh the consequences of that apology on their ability to lead.

Apologies can also present legal problems, so much so that dozens of states have enacted "apology laws" that encourage doctor-patient communication while also protecting doctors from medical malpractice lawsuits. Basically, if a doctor apologizes to a patient for a medical mistake, the law guarantees that apology won't later be used against the doctor in civil court.

Ho studied the effectiveness of these laws in a 2010 report titled "Does Sorry Work?" He found that because the laws allow doctors to feel more at ease in apologizing to patients, more malpractice cases are settled out of court for less money.

"It seems like apologies work in the real world," Ho said.


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