Audit senior modeling fallibility: The effects of reduced error strain and enhanced error-related self-efficacy on audit juniors’ responses to self-discovered errors

This paper examines the relationship between audit seniors discussing their own experiences with committing and correcting errors (modeling fallibility), and audit juniors’ thinking about errors and error communication (openly discussing their own self-discovered errors). The paper investigates the direct relationship between senior modeling fallibility and juniors’ responses, and whether the relationship is mediated through error strain and error-related self-efficacy. Survey data from 266 audit juniors from two Big 4 Canadian accounting firms showed a direct positive association between audit senior modeling fallibility and audit juniors’ thinking about errors, and error communication. This relationship is positively mediated through error-related self-efficacy. We also found that the relationship is mediated by error strain. However, although audit senior modeling fallibility was associated with reduced error strain, error strain was positively related to both thinking about errors and error communication, contrary to our hypothesis. The paper discusses the theoretical and practical implications of these results.