Given the inevitability of psychological contract breaches, it is crucial for managers, the primary agents in these processes, to effectively repair damaged relationships. Extant literature often simplifies organizational repair efforts as generalized responsiveness, overlooking the nuanced daily interactions between managers and employees and failing to distinguish the varied strategies managers may employ. This study aims to address these gaps. Employing an experimental vignette methodology, two empirical investigations assessed the effectiveness of apologies, amends, and promise-making in mitigating feelings of violation following a breach. Study 1 (N=795) focused on transactional breaches, while Study 2 (N=495) examined relational breaches. Both studies consistently found that while all tactics were beneficial, offering amends was most effective. Additionally, this research explores the moderating roles of pre-violation trust and response velocity. These findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of breach recovery and offer theoretical insights and practical implications for effective psychological contract breach recovery. This study not only fills a critical gap in the literature but also guides managers in strategically navigating and mending breached contracts.
