Daily Bookmarks 12/22/2007

For higher pay, learn to say you’re sorry – Oct. 17, 2007 – Ask Annie Annotated

Fortune Magazine article that cites a study showing a direct correlation between income and a willingness to apologize. So how do we create organizational cultures where people feel open to admit mistakes and apologize (and hopefully learn from those mistakes)? I wonder if a correlation also exists between people who learn more effectively from their mistakes and those who are willing to apologize (and therefore with better pay).

People earning over $100,000 a year are almost twice as likely to apologize after an argument or mistake as those earning $25,000 or less, the survey found…

They were also asked whether they would apologize in three situations: when they felt they were entirely to blame for a problem; when they thought they were only partly at fault; and when they believed they were blameless.

In all three cases, “a person’s willingness to apologize was an almost perfect predictor of their place on the income ladder,” the study says.