Quincy Merx, Mark Steins and Gaby Odekerken
This study aims to propose a service robot option to address shortages of human frontline employees (FLEs) in long-term care (LTC) service settings. With a field study, the…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to propose a service robot option to address shortages of human frontline employees (FLEs) in long-term care (LTC) service settings. With a field study, the authors investigate the effect of psychological comfort with robot reminders of LTC residents and human FLEs on acceptance and attentive engagement, ultimately resulting in effort and willingness to interact with the service robot. The outcomes provide valuable insights into human-robot interaction in the LTC sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The 45 residents and 49 human FLEs who participated in the field study completed a survey measuring various perceptual variables after deploying a service robot.
Findings
Both the residents’ sample and the FLE sample demonstrate that psychological comfort with robot reminders increases robot acceptance. This increased acceptance evokes greater attentive engagement, ultimately leading to a higher willingness to exert effort to interact with the service robots.
Research limitations/implications
This study highlights service robots with well-received reminder functions and the ability to prompt efforts by both residents and employees during their implementation at LTC services. The findings suggest further research avenues for designing service robots that can be effectively integrated.
Originality/value
This study leverages a service robot in a field study involving LTC residents and human FLEs rather than hypothetical scenarios, which is rather limited in current studies. The findings are both timely and relevant, considering the gradual implementation of service robots into LTC services.
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Gaby Odekerken-Schröder, Kars Mennens, Mark Steins and Dominik Mahr
Recent service studies suggest focusing on the service triad consisting of technology-customer-frontline employee (FLE). This study empirically investigates the role of service…
Abstract
Purpose
Recent service studies suggest focusing on the service triad consisting of technology-customer-frontline employee (FLE). This study empirically investigates the role of service robots in this service triad, with the aim to understand the augmentation or substitution role of service robots in driving utilitarian and hedonic value and ultimately customer repatronage.
Design/methodology/approach
In study 1, field data are collected from customers (n = 108) who interacted with a service robot and FLE in a fast casual dining restaurant. Structural equation modeling (SEM) is used to test hypotheses about the impact of service robots' anthropomorphism, social presence, value perceptions and augmentation opportunities in the service triad. In study 2, empirical data from a scenario-based experimental design (n = 361) complement the field study by further scrutinizing the interplay between the service robot and FLEs within the service triad.
Findings
The study provides three important contributions. First, the authors provide empirical evidence for the interplay between different actors in the “customer-FLE-technology” service triad resulting in customer repatronage. Second, the empirical findings advance the service management literature by unraveling the relationship between anthropomorphism and social presence and their effect on perceived value in the service triad. And third, the study identifies utilitarian value of service robots as a driver of customer repatronage in fast casual dining restaurants.
Practical implications
The results help service managers, service robot engineers and designers, and policy makers to better understand the implications of anthropomorphism, and how the utilitarian value of service robots can offer the potential for augmentation or substitution roles in the service triad.
Originality/value
Building on existing conceptual and laboratory studies on service robots, this is one of the first field studies on the service triad consisting of service robots – customers – frontline employees. The empirical study on service triads provides evidence for the potential of FLEs to augment service robots that exhibit lower levels of functional performance to achieve customer repatronage. FLEs can do this by demonstrating a high willingness to help and having excellent interactions with customers. This finding advocates the joint service delivery by FLE – service robot teams in situations where service robot technology is not fully optimized.
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Chelsea Phillips, Gaby Odekerken-Schröder, Rebekah Russell-Bennett, Mark Steins, Dominik Mahr and Kate Letheren
Previous research has not considered the impact on human frontline employees (FLEs) of altered employee–customer relationships in the presence of a service robot (i.e. an…
Abstract
Purpose
Previous research has not considered the impact on human frontline employees (FLEs) of altered employee–customer relationships in the presence of a service robot (i.e. an intrusion challenge), nor how FLEs may respond. The purpose of this study is to explore the task allocation strategies by human frontline employees’ (FLE) work well-being responses within the intrusion challenge.
Design/methodology/approach
This study employs a mixed-method approach, whereby an in-depth qualitative study (Study 1, n = 15) is followed by a quantitative field study (Study 2, n = 81).
Findings
Results indicate that FLEs experience the intrusion challenge, impacting social, purpose, physical and community well-being. Study 1 reveals that while service robots trigger this challenge, FLEs use them for task allocation to maintain their initial work well-being state. Study 2 shows that using robots instead of colleagues positively affects FLE work well-being.
Practical implications
Service robots, as a task allocation strategy by FLEs, can be used to empower FLEs by assisting them to preserve their work well-being within the intrusion challenge.
Originality/value
This study is one of the first to involve FLEs from a live service robot site, where data is based on personal lived experiences rather than anticipated experiences. This is the first study to investigate how FLEs respond to the intrusion challenge.
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Mark J. Stein and Christine R. Sheridan
The authors examine the problems envountered when setting up a hypertext link (termed the identity link) for moving between bibliographic and full text databases. MEDLINE and CCAL…
Abstract
The authors examine the problems envountered when setting up a hypertext link (termed the identity link) for moving between bibliographic and full text databases. MEDLINE and CCAL are used as examples. They argue that these problems are symptomatic of deeper concerns, involving individuation criteria and classificatory fields.
Arne De Keyser and Werner H. Kunz
Service robots are now an integral part of people's living and working environment, making service robots one of the hot topics for service researchers today. Against that…
Abstract
Purpose
Service robots are now an integral part of people's living and working environment, making service robots one of the hot topics for service researchers today. Against that background, the paper reviews the recent service robot literature following a Theory-Context-Characteristics-Methodology (TCCM) approach to capture the state of art of the field. In addition, building on qualitative input from researchers who are active in this field, the authors highlight where opportunities for further development and growth lie.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper identifies and analyzes 88 manuscripts (featuring 173 individual studies) published in academic journals featured on the SERVSIG literature alert. In addition, qualitative input gathered from 79 researchers who are active in the service field and doing research on service robots is infused throughout the manuscript.
Findings
The key research foci of the service robot literature to date include comparing service robots with humans, the role of service robots' look and feel, consumer attitudes toward service robots and the role of service robot conversational skills and behaviors. From a TCCM view, the authors discern dominant theories (anthropomorphism theory), contexts (retail/healthcare, USA samples, Business-to-Consumer (B2C) settings and customer focused), study characteristics (robot types: chatbots, not embodied and text/voice-based; outcome focus: customer intentions) and methodologies (experimental, picture-based scenarios).
Originality/value
The current paper is the first to analyze the service robot literature from a TCCM perspective. Doing so, the study gives (1) a comprehensive picture of the field to date and (2) highlights key pathways to inspire future work.
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The concept of “winners” has become a popular motif in the design of training programmes, especially in the area of customer service. This paper examines the case of one such…
Abstract
The concept of “winners” has become a popular motif in the design of training programmes, especially in the area of customer service. This paper examines the case of one such training programme at “CapitalAirport”, with the purpose of understanding how the “winners” idea was experienced by employees, and exploring the implications that follow from this. The paper applies psychoanalytic concepts in the analysis of the findings, proposing that important functions of management may be analogically compared to the mother‐infant relationship. The findings suggest that the “winners” idea was experienced by employees as a denial of the truth and as involving the imposition of a distorted and dishonest image on to their work. The idea was also felt to provoke considerable envy and jealousy among the workforce. This experience was associated with unfortunate consequences for learning and development.
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Projective identification occurs when an individual or group, unable to bear certain features of their own reality, unconsciously splits these features off and projects them into…
Abstract
Projective identification occurs when an individual or group, unable to bear certain features of their own reality, unconsciously splits these features off and projects them into another individual or group. As these features do not reside in the conscious minds of those who do the projecting, they are not available in their minds for scrutiny, understanding or learning. These projections also endow the recipients with unmanageable feelings and characteristics which are not of their own making, and may thereby have a detrimental effect on them and their relationship with those who do the projecting. This paper examines two case examples attempting to throw light on the implications of this concept for management education. The first emerges from a supervisory relationship with a mature student, while the second looks at an experiential group in a “working conference”.
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Richard J. Bauer and Julie R. Dahlquist
Discusses research ideas on the distinctions between data, information and knowledge, the categories of knowledge and knowledge‐processing activities in Holsapple and Whinston’s…
Abstract
Discusses research ideas on the distinctions between data, information and knowledge, the categories of knowledge and knowledge‐processing activities in Holsapple and Whinston’s (HW’s) taxonomy (1987, 1988a, 1988b), and their application to markets and the activities of the firm. Describes a manufacturing firm’s inputs, production processes and outputs in terms of HW’s taxonomy, pointing out that management must filter the information surrounding the firm to turn it into knowledge of various types, e.g. descriptive, derived, assimilative etc. Considers the role of information for customers of and investors in the firm; and the relationship between knowledge and efficiency. Identifies three types of knowledge workers (builders, stewards and appliers) and calls for further research on the taxonomy of knowledge and standards of knowledge within the finance discipline.
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Hong T.M. Bui, Jonathan Pinto and Abhishek Srivastava
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between sexualization of the work environment and emotional exhaustion, and develop some key antecedents of sexualization…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between sexualization of the work environment and emotional exhaustion, and develop some key antecedents of sexualization of the work environment. It was conducted in an emerging society, India, which has a high rate of crime against women, particularly related to sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Design/methodology/approach
To test the hypotheses, structural equation modeling was performed. The hypotheses were tested with data from 1,098 white collar workers in India in three ways.
Findings
Contact with other gender and flexible work arrangements were positively associated with sexualization of the work environment; and sexualization of the work environment was positively associated with emotional exhaustion. In addition, sexualization of the work environment mediated the relationship between the two antecedent variables and emotional exhaustion.
Research limitations/implications
There is a possible bias arising from the use of cross-sectional data. However, a number of methods were implemented to minimize it, including survey design and data analysis.
Practical implications
The study offers some important suggestions for workplaces with a greater proportion of young male employees, particularly in a societal context like India.
Originality/value
The paper provides evidence of the negative impact of sexualization of the work environment, and thereby contributes to current understanding of the “dark side” of behavior at work that might have significant impact on society.