It’s better to apologize when you commit a competency violation than an integrity violation. Examples of competency violations are when we fail to arrive on time for a meeting, forget to bring something, or did not perform well on a task. Examples of integrity violations are when we cheat on an exam, lied, or stole something from work.
Kim’s study suggests that people can regain some trust when they apologize for a competency violation (“Sorry, I will be here earlier next time”) than when apologizing for a violation of integrity (“Sorry, I will not lie again”). In fact, when one apologizes for a violation of integrity, people actually trusts you less than if you denied it.
The reasoning is because when one makes an integrity fault, it is suggestive of a character (personality) flaw, whereas when one makes a competency fault, we see the fault as not intentionally produced. Hence, we are more likely to forgive someone for making a competency fault than integrity fault.
