Recovering from Failure: How Repair Actions Help Advisors Regain Trust and Acceptance of Their Advice

Abstract: Advice taking relies on the expectation that advisors provide accurate, informative advice. Misleading advice violates this expectation, reducing willingness to rely on the advisor going forward. The ability to restore the willingness to accept advice is thus critical for the continued cooperation between both parties. This research examines whether advisors who have misled decision makers can repair their relationships through increased effort and improved performance. Across three experiments (N = 1207), we varied initial violations and subsequent repair actions. Violations significantly reduced advice taking, but demonstrating improved performance fully restored willingness to rely on advice, even after intentional deception. This renewed acceptance persisted over time, even without performance monitoring. The effects of violation and repair mirrored changes in trust, and while increased effort improved both trust and advice taking, their full restoration required improved performance. In sum, advice relationships, though fragile, can be repaired through effective performance recovery.

Keywords: Advice taking, Trust, Experimental Design