Skip to main content

Social Robots in Organizational Contexts: The Role of Culture and Future Research Needs

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
New Trends in Business Information Systems and Technology

Abstract

The integration of social robots in organizations is on the rise. In the future, an increase in the application of physically embodied robots who socially interact and collaborate with humans is expected. In this chapter, we outline the organizational contexts in which current research examines social robots and point out cultural challenges regarding their implementation in the workplace. We suggest that the successful integration of social robots in organizations requires a cultural fit between values embedded in social robots and values lived in the organizational context in which the robot is deployed. In addition, we propose an agenda for future research that addresses the associated cultural challenges of introducing social robots into organizational contexts.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 139.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 179.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  1. Hegel, F., Muhl, C., Wrede, B., Hielscher-Fastabend, M., Sagerer, G.: Understanding social robots. In: Proceedings of the 2009 Second International Conferences on Advances in Computer-Human Interactions, pp. 169–174. IEEE Computer Society, Washington, DC, USA (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Duffy, B.R., Joue, G., Bourke, J.: Issues in assessing performance of social robots. In: Presented at the WSEAS International Conference on Robotics, Skiathos Island (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Šabanović, S.: Robots in society, society in robots. Int. J. Soc. Robot. 2(4), 439–450 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-010-0066-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Schaefer, K.E.: The Perception and Measurement of Human-Robot Trust, Dissertation, University of Central Florida (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Castro-González, Á., Malfaz, M., Salichs, M.A.: Learning the selection of actions for an autonomous social robot by reinforcement learning based on motivations. Int. J. Soc. Robot. 3(4), 427–441 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-011-0113-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Duffy, B.R.: Anthropomorphism and the social robot. Robot. Auton. Syst. 42(3), 177–190 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1016/S0921-8890(02)00374-3

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  7. Sarrica, M., Brondi, S., Fortunati, L.: How many facets does a “social robot” have? a review of scientific and popular definitions online. Inf. Technol. People (2019). https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-04-2018-0203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Li, H., Cabibihan, J.-J., Tan, Y.K.: Towards an effective design of social robots. Int. J. Soc. Robot. 3(4), 333–335 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-011-0121-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Beer, J.M., Fisk, A.D., Rogers, W.A.: Toward a framework for levels of robot autonomy in human-robot interaction. J. Hum. Robot. Interact. 3(2), 74–99 (2014). https://doi.org/10.5898/JHRI.3.2.Beer

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Glisky, E.L.: Changes in cognitive function in human aging. In: Riddle, D.R. (ed.) Brain Aging: Models, Methods, and Mechanisms. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton (FL) (2007)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Carpentier, N.: Differentiating between access, interaction and participation. Conjunct. Transdiscipl. J. Cult. Particip. 2(2), 7–28 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. International Federation of Robotics: Introduction into Service Robots. https://ifr.org/service-robots

  13. Hegel, F., Muhl, C., Wrede, B., Hielscher-Fastabend, M., Sagerer, G.: Understanding social robots. In: Presented at the Advances in Computer-Human Interactions, 2009. ACHI’09. Second International Conference February (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  14. Minor, L.:  Es darf nicht passieren, dass Lio jemanden umfährt , https://www.tagesanzeiger.ch/zuerich/region/seine-geduld-ist-endlos/story/17626511, (2019)

  15. World Health Organization: World Report on Ageing and Health 2015. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  16. World Health Organization: World Report on Disability. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Riek, L.D.: Healthcare robotics. Commun. ACM 60(11), 68–78 (2017)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Rabbitt, S.M., Kazdin, A.E., Scassellati, B.: Integrating socially assistive robotics into mental healthcare interventions: Applications and recommendations for expanded use. Clin. Psychol. Rev. 35, 35–46 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2014.07.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Whelan, S., Murphy, K., Barrett, E., Krusche, C., Santorelli, A., Casey, D.: Factors affecting the acceptability of social robots by older adults including people with dementia or cognitive impairment: a literature review. Int. J. Soc. Robot. 10(5), 643–668 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-018-0471-x

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Chen, S.-C., Jones, C., Moyle, W.: Social robots for depression in older adults: a systematic review. J. Nurs. Scholarsh. 50(6), 612–622 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12423

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Kachouie, R., Sedighadeli, S., Abkenar, A.B.: The role of socially assistive robots in elderly wellbeing: a systematic review. In: Rau, P.-L.P. (ed.) Cross-Cultural Design, pp. 669–682. Springer International Publishing, Cham (2017)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  22. Lagrange, F.J., Jacq, F.: Developing an innovative oral unit dose robot dispenser: patient care performance and industrial perspectives. Le Pharmacien Hospitalier et Clinicien. 49(2), e1–e14 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phclin.2014.03.001

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Abdi, J., Al-Hindawi, A., Ng, T., Vizcaychipi, M.P.: Scoping review on the use of socially assistive robot technology in elderly care. BMJ Open 8(2), e018815 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-018815

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Pennisi, P., Tonacci, A., Tartarisco, G., Billeci, L., Ruta, L., Gangemi, S., Pioggia, G.: Autism and social robotics: a systematic review. Autism Res. 9(2), 165–183 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1527

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Robinson, N.L., Cottier, T.V., Kavanagh, D.J.: Psychosocial health interventions by social robots: systematic review of randomized controlled trials. J. Med. Internet Res. 21(5), e13203 (2019). https://doi.org/10.2196/13203

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Cabibihan, J.-J., Javed, H., Ang, M., Aljunied, S.M.: Why robots? a survey on the roles and benefits of social robots in the therapy of children with autism. Int. J. Soc. Robot. 5(4), 593–618 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-013-0202-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Beran, T.N., Ramirez-Serrano, A., Vanderkooi, O.G., Kuhn, S.: Reducing children’s pain and distress towards flu vaccinations: a novel and effective application of humanoid robotics. Vaccine 31(25), 2772–2777 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2013.03.056

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Belpaeme, T., Kennedy, J., Ramachandran, A., Scassellati, B., Tanaka, F.: Social robots for education. A Rev. Sci. Robot. 3(21), eaat5954 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1126/scirobotics.aat5954

  29. van den Berghe, R., Verhagen, J., Oudgenoeg-Paz, O., van der Ven, S., Leseman, P.: Social robots for language learning: a review. Rev. Educ. Res. 89(2), 259–295 (2019). https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654318821286

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Rosenberg-Kima, R., Koren, Y., Yachini, M., Gordon, G.: Human-Robot-Collaboration (HRC): social robots as teaching assistants for training activities in small groups. In: 2019 14th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (HRI), pp. 522–523, Daegu, South Korea (2019)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Ramachandran, A., Huang, C.-M., Gartland, E., Scassellati, B.: Thinking aloud with a tutoring robot to enhance learning. In: Hri ’18: Proceedings of the 2018 Acm/Ieee International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction, pp. 59–68. Assoc Computing Machinery, New York (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Ivanov, S., Webster, C., Garenko, A.: Young Russian adults’ attitudes towards the potential use of robots in hotels. Technol. Soc. 55(November 2018), 24–32 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2018.06.004

  33. Lai, C.-J., Tsai, C.-P.: Design of Introducing Service Robot into Catering Services. In: Proceedings of the 2018 International Conference on Service Robotics Technologies (ICSRT ‘18). ACM, New York, NY, USA (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  34. Pinillos, R., Marcos, S., Feliz, R., Zalama, E., Gomez-Garcia-Bermejo, J.: Long-term assessment of a service robot in a hotel environment. Robotics and Autonomous Systems. 79(May 2016), 40–57 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.robot.2016.01.014

  35. Brodeur, T., Cater, A., Vaz, J.C., Oh, P.: Directory navigation with robotic assistance. In: 2018 IEEE 8th Annual Computing and Communication Workshop and Conference (CCWC). IEEE, New York (2018)

    Google Scholar 

  36. Chen, Y., Wu, F., Shuai, W., Chen, X.: Robots serve humans in public places-KeJia robot as a shopping assistant. Int. J. Adv. Robot. Syst. 14(3) (2017). https://doi.org/10.1177/1729881417703569

  37. Satake, S., Hayashi, K., Nakatani, K., Kanda, T.: Field trial of an information-providing robot in a shopping mall. In: 2015 Ieee/Rsj International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (iros), pp. 1832–1839. IEEE, New York (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  38. Sabelli, A.M., Kanda, T.: Robovie as a mascot: a qualitative study for long-term presence of robots in a shopping mall. Int. J. Soc. Robot. 8(2), 211–221 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-015-0332-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  39. Foster, M.E., Alami, R., Gestranius, O., Lemon, O., Niemelä, M., Odobez, J.-M., Pandey, A.K.: The MuMMER Project: Engaging Human-Robot Interaction in Real-World Public Spaces. In: Agah, A., Cabibihan, J.-J., Howard, A.M., Salichs, M.A., He, H. (eds.) Social Robotics, pp. 753–763. Springer International Publishing, Cham (2016)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  40. Triebel, R., Arras, K., Alami, R., Beyer, L., Breuers, S., Chatila, R., Chetouani, M., Cremers, D., Evers, V., Fiore, M., Hung, H., Ramírez, O.A.I., Joosse, M., Khambhaita, H., Kucner, T., Leibe, B., Lilienthal, A.J., Linder, T., Lohse, M., Magnusson, M., Okal, B., Palmieri, L., Rafi, U., van Rooij, M., Zhang, L.: SPENCER: a socially aware service robot for passenger guidance and help in busy airports. In: Wettergreen, D.S., Barfoot, T.D. (eds.) Field and Service Robotics: Results of the 10th International Conference, pp. 607–622. Springer International Publishing, Cham (2016)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  41. Commission, European: Public Attitutes Towards Robots. European Commission, Brussels (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  42. Hofstede, G., Hofstede, G.J.: Cultures and Organizations: Software of the Mind. McGraw-Hill, New York (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  43. Schein, E.H.: Organizational Culture and Leadership. Wiley, San Francisco (2010)

    Google Scholar 

  44. Kluckhohn, C.: 2. values and value-orientations in the theory of action: an exploration in definition and classification. In: Toward a General Theory of Action. Harvard University Press, Cambridge (1951)

    Google Scholar 

  45. Tajfel, H.: Social categorization. In: Moscovici, S. (ed.) Introduction à la psychologie sociale, pp. 272–302. Larousse, Paris (1973)

    Google Scholar 

  46. Karahanna, E., Evaristo, J., Srite, M.: Levels of culture and individual behavior: an investigative perspective. J. Global Inf. Manage. 13(2), 1–20 (2005). https://doi.org/10.4018/jgim.2005040101

    Article  Google Scholar 

  47. Spiegel, M., Schmiedel, T., Brocke, J.V.: What makes change harder—or easier: how embedded values fit organizational culture. MIT Sloan Manage. Rev. 58(3), 88–89 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  48. Kotter, J.P., Heskett, J.L.: Corporate Culture and Performance. The Free Press, New York (1992)

    Google Scholar 

  49. Trovato, G., Lucho, C., Paredes, R.: She’s electric—the influence of body proportions on perceived gender of robots across cultures. Robotics 7(3), 50 (2018). https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics7030050

    Article  Google Scholar 

  50. Kanngiesser, P., Itakura, S., Zhou, Y., Kanda, T., Ishiguro, H., Hood, B.: The role of social eye-gaze in children’s and adults’ ownership attributions to robotic agents in three cultures. Interact. Stud. 16(1), 1–28 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1075/is.16.1.01kan

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Kamaruddin, N., Wahab, A., Quek, C.: Cultural dependency analysis for understanding speech emotion. Expert Syst. Appl. 39(5), 5115–5133 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2011.11.028

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Bruno, B., Chong, N.Y., Kamide, H., Kanoria, S., Lee, J., Lim, Y., Pandey, A.K., Papadopoulos, C., Papadopoulos, I., Pecora, F., Saffiotti, A., Sgorbissa, A.: Paving the way for culturally competent robots: a position paper. In: 2017 26th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN), pp. 553–560 (2017)

    Google Scholar 

  53. Papadopoulos, I., Koulouglioti, C.: The influence of culture on attitudes towards Humanoid and animal-like robots: an integrative review. J. Nurs. Scholarsh. 50(8), 653–665 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12422

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Cunningham, S., Chellali, A., Jaffre, I., Classe, J., Cao, C.G.L.: Effects of experience and workplace culture in human-robot team interaction in robotic surgery: a case study. Int. J. Soc. Robot. 5(1), 75–88 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-012-0170-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  55. Rudovic, O., Lee, J., Mascarell-Maricic, L., Schuller, B.W., Picard, R.W.: Measuring engagement in robot-assisted autism therapy: a cross-cultural study. Front. Robot. AI. 4, 1–17 (2017). https://doi.org/10.3389/frobt.2017.00036

    Article  Google Scholar 

  56. Hashim, R., Mahamood, S.F.: Humanoid robots for skill augmentation of gifted children: teachers’ perceptions and islamic implications. Procedia Comput. Sci. 42, 345–350 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2014.11.072

    Article  Google Scholar 

  57. Bidin, S.A.H., Lokman, A.M., Mohd, W.A.R.W., Tsuchiya, T.: Initial intervention study of Kansei robotic implementation for elderly. Procedia Comput. Sci. 105, 87–92 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2017.01.205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. Cortellessa, G., Scopelliti, M., Tiberio, L., Svedberg, G.K., Loutfi, A., Pecora, F.: A cross-cultural evaluation of domestic assistive robots. In: AAAI Fall Symposium: AI in Eldercare: New Solutions to Old Problems, pp. 24–31, 7–9 Nov, Arlington, Virginia (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  59. Reich-Stiebert, N., Eyssel, F.: Learning with educational companion robots? toward attitudes on education robots, predictors of attitudes, and application potentials for education robots. Int. J. Social Robot. 7(5), 875–888 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12369-015-0308-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  60. Conti D., Cattani A., Nuovo S.D., Nuovo, A.D.: A cross-cultural study of acceptance and use of robotics by future psychology practitioners. In: 2015 24th IEEE International Symposium on Robot and Human Interactive Communication (RO-MAN). pp. 555–560 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  61. Han, J., Hyun, E., Kim, M., Cho, H., Kanda, T., Nomura, T: The cross-cultural acceptance of tutoring robots with augmented reality services. Int. J. Digit. Content Technol. Appl. 3(2), 95–102 (2009). https://doi.org/10.4156/jdcta.vol3.issue2.han

  62. Shahid, S., Krahmer, E., Swerts, M.: Child-robot interaction across cultures: how does playing a game with a social robot compare to playing a game alone or with a friend? Comput. Hum. Behav. 40, 86–100 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2014.07.043

    Article  Google Scholar 

  63. Choi, J.-H., Lee, J.-Y., Han, J.-H.: Comparison of cultural acceptability for educational robots between Europe and Korea. J. Inf. Process. Syst. 4(3), 97–102 (2008). https://doi.org/10.3745/JIPS.2008.4.3.97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  64. Pang, W.-C., Wong, C.-Y., Seet, G.: Exploring the use of robots for museum settings and for learning heritage languages and cultures at the chinese heritage centre. Presence-Teleoperators Virtual Environ. 26(4), 420–435 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1162/PRES_a_00306

    Article  Google Scholar 

  65. Germak, C., Lupetti, M.L., Giuliano, L., Ng, M.E.K.: Robots and cultural heritage: new museum experiences. J. Sci. Technol. Arts. 7(2), 47–57 (2015)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Shiomi, M., Hagita, N.: Social acceptance toward a childcare support robot system: web-based cultural differences investigation and a field study in Japan. Adv. Robot. 31(14), 727–738 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1080/01691864.2017.1345322

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. Kovacic, M.: The making of national robot history in Japan: monozukuri, enculturation and cultural lineage of robots. Crit. Asian Stud. 50(4), 572–590 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1080/14672715.2018.1512003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  68. van Wynsberghe, A.: Designing robots for care: care centered value-sensitive design. Sci. Eng. Ethics 19(2), 407–433 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-011-9343-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  69. Hasse, C.: How robots challenge institutional practices. Learn. Cult. Soc. Interact. (2018, in press). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lcsi.2018.04.003

  70. Mutlu, B., Forlizzi, J.: Robots in organizations: the role of workflow, social, and environmental factors in human-robot interaction. In: Proceedings of the 3rd ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human Robot Interaction, pp. 287–294. ACM (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  71. Schmiedel, T., vom Brocke, J., Recker, J.C.: Cultural fitness for business process management : what is it and what is it worth? The World Financial Review. Nov, 21–24 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  72. Davis, J., Nathan, L.P.: Value sensitive design: applications, adaptations, and critiques. In: Handbook of ethics, values, and technological design: sources, theory, values and application domains, pp. 11–40 (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  73. vom Brocke, J., Sinnl, T.: Culture in business process management: a literature review. Bus. Process Manage. J. 17(2), 357–378 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1108/14637151111122383

    Article  Google Scholar 

  74. van den Hoven, J.: ICT and value sensitive design. In: Goujon, P., Lavelle, S., Duquenoy, P., Kimppa, K., Laurent, V. (eds.) The Information Society: Innovation, Legitimacy, Ethics and Democracy In honor of Professor Jacques Berleur s.j. pp. 67–72. Springer US (2007)

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Theresa Schmiedel .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Schmiedel, T., Jäger, J., Zhong, V.J. (2021). Social Robots in Organizational Contexts: The Role of Culture and Future Research Needs. In: Dornberger, R. (eds) New Trends in Business Information Systems and Technology. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol 294. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48332-6_11

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics