When Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
Kelly from TaxGirl, is the head of our b5media business channel. She sometimes likes to challenge us with thought-provoking questions to keep us on our toes. This month, she asked both Ali from Greener Assets and me to ponder the following question:
Companies which engage in potentially harmful behaviors with results such as environmental dangers or distribution of unsafe products often simply pay a fine as damages and move on. Should the punishment for these behaviors include a public mea culpa?
My initial response to this question is that for a company to give an apology as part of their “punishment” would be as meaningless as when your mother used to tell you to say “I’m sorry” to your kid sister. You didn’t want to give it and she didn’t want to accept it - so what was the point?
I personally think that public statements of apology are not worth the papers they are written on; this view has been reinforced for me by finding multiple businesses that teach corporations “the correct way to apologize” to their customers without increasing liability.
What this underscores for me is that there is very little real communication between corporations and consumers. Traditional communication has been highly controlled and in one direction - from the corporation to the consumer.
Twenty-first century communication is unique in that there is the opportunity for two way communication. Control has been taken out of the hands of the corporation and put into the hands of both the consumer and the corporation.
So, while I don’t think corporations should be forced by the courts to apologize as part of their settlement, I do think corporations will be compelled to apologize in order to maintain their credibility in the face of blogs, podcasts, twitter and other aspects of web 2.0.
Now check out Ali’s view on the subject by reading Are Fines Enough When Harm is Done?
Photo Credit: Michael Grunow
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POSTED IN: Corporate
7 opinions for When Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word
Bob Turek
Jan 25, 2008 at 10:53 am
Liz- communication from corporations and even governments is increasingly full of legalese- i.e., NOT really communication at all. One government example is the property tax situation in California where I get a two page letter full of legal mumbo jumbo about how if I take advantage of a one-time drop in assessment I could be liable for what I consider illegal 50-60% tax increases in the future. Hardly anyone can understand this and needs a lawyer to see whether they should take advantage of a one year reduction in taxes only to be hit with huge increases later (basically an abdication of your legal rights). Legalese and deals abound with no communication as to the “right” thing to do. FYI - I’m posting on carbon trading in a few days at http://www.projectmanagement411.com/carbon-trading-as-global-warming-heats-up - it deals with a pretty good article in CFO magazine on some of the ridiculous things that carbon offsets are causing- watch out for more regulation and less communication.
Liz Fuller
Jan 25, 2008 at 11:57 am
Hi Bob
I agree that many companies seem to be more interested in protecting their potential liability than in actually communicating with their customers. In the research I did I found that in many states this fear is ungrounded as apologies are not admissable as evidence of guilt.
Liz
Mary Emma Allen
Jan 25, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Something to really think about, Liz. The wheels are grinding.
Miki
Jan 25, 2008 at 11:40 pm
Apologies may not be admissable in a court of law, but they certainly are in the court of public opinion. Apologies are often seen as a sign of weakness in the US. Why apologize when you can settle without admitting or denying guilt.
Liz Fuller
Jan 26, 2008 at 10:07 am
Miki
Apologies can also be seen as a way of courting public approval and consumer relations. Corporations are now looking at ways to apologize that will get them back in good standing with the public and enhance their reputation. Again, these apologies are as meaningless as the idea of court ordered apologies.
As long as the decision is motivated by what is right for the corporation - business apologies will be empty even where they do exist.
It’s only when the leaders of the company take accountability for their actions and realize that their customers are real people and not statistics that apologies have any chance of being real.
Why do it? To salvage some vestige of what it means to be a decent human being.
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