Organizational perceptions of robotics in the Visegrád group countries: theoretical insights and practical implications for HRM

Purpose The main goal of the article is to determine how the national context and ownership structure of organizations shape and influence organizational perceptions of robotics in the Visegrád Group countries, providing both theoretical insights and practical implications for HRM. Design/methodology/approach We conducted empirical research between 2022 and 2024 using paper-based and electronic questionnaires, including the computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) approach. The research sample included 737 organizations with diverse ownership structures from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia. We analyzed the data using a comprehensive set of statistical techniques, including descriptive statistics, the Shapiro-Wilk test, Levene's test, the Kruskal-Wallis H test, Eta-Squared (η2), Epsilon-Squared (ε2), the Mann-Whitney U test, the generalized linear model (GLZ) with an ordinal logit link function, K-Means clustering and the elbow method. Findings The results revealed significant differences in organizational perceptions of robotics across the Visegrád Group countries and ownership structures concerning five key applications: workflow automation, reduction of monotonous tasks, enhancement of workplace safety, profitability and workforce retention. Originality/value This study contributes to the development of institutional theory and the resource-based view (RBV) and reinforces principles of the technology acceptance model (TAM). Furthermore, the findings provide practical recommendations for organizations and policymakers in the Visegrád Group countries to develop effective HRM strategies that align technological adoption with national contexts and ownership structures.