It’s about the introduction: how introduction focus shapes employee reactions to service robots

Purpose The integration of service robot in the hospitality industry has generated mixed employee reactions, yet the current literature provides limited guidance on managing human−robot interactions. Drawing on the transactional model of stress and coping, this study aims to investigate how two types of introduction approaches − employee-focused versus business-focused − affect employees’ collaboration and complaint intentions, mediated by their challenge and hindrance appraisals. Additionally, the study examines the moderating role of employees’ organizational identity, as a coping resource, in influencing these indirect effects. Design/methodology/approach The authors conducted two online experiments to address the research questions. The first experiment assessed whether an employee-focused (vs business-focused) introduction of service robots enhances employees’ collaboration intention and reduces their complaint intention. The second experiment investigated whether challenge and hindrance appraisals mediate the effects of introduction focus on employee responses, and it also explored whether organizational identity moderates these mediated effects. Findings An employee-focused (vs business-focused) introduction promotes employees’ collaboration intention and reduces their complaint intention. These effects are only mediated by hindrance appraisals. Furthermore, organizational identity moderates these indirect effects, such that the differences between introduction foci exist only among employees with low organizational identity. Practical implications This paper identifies two strategies of introducing robots to employees. The study further examined the underlying mechanisms − specifically, hindrance appraisal − and identified organizational identity as a boundary condition in these processes. The findings offer practical guidance for managers on introducing service robots and shaping employee responses. Originality/value This research extends the service robot literature by examining how introduction strategies influence employee appraisals and behaviors. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is among the first empirical studies to explore organizational identity as a coping resource in human–robot interactions.