How will service robots redefine leadership in hotel management? A Delphi approach

Abstract

<jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Purpose</jats:title> <jats:p>Using the Delphi technique, this paper aims to investigate how human resource experts perceive service robots will impact leadership and human resource management in the hospitality industry.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Design/methodology/approach</jats:title> <jats:p>A three-stage Delphi study with hotel industry human resource experts was conducted to identify the key trends and major challenges that will emerge in the next ten years and how leaders should deal with the challenges brought about by service robot technologies.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Findings</jats:title> <jats:p>The results show that while service robots are anticipated to increase efficiency and productivity of hotel activities, they may also pose challenges such as high costs, skill deficits and significant changes to the organizational structure and culture of hotels. Therefore, the anticipated applications and integration of robotic technology will require leaders of the future to carefully consider the balance between the roles of service robots and human employees in the guest experience and to nurture a work environment that embraces open-mindedness and change.</jats:p> </jats:sec> <jats:sec> <jats:title content-type="abstract-subheading">Originality/value</jats:title> <jats:p>This is the first type of study to examine hospitality leadership and human resource management in the context of robotized hotels. This study has taken an important step to understand the leadership role in robotized hotels from a human resource perspective and brings clarity as to how robotic technology can influence leadership in the future workplace.</jats:p> </jats:sec>

Hotel managers’ perceptions towards the use of robots: a mixed-methods approach

“…The supply-side (employees’, managers’ and owners’) perspective of the use of service robots in tourism (Kuo et al 2017 ; Lee et al 2018 ; Li et al 2019 ; Tuomi et al 2019 , 2020b ; Xu et al 2020 ) is a bit overlooked—a gap partially filled in by this paper. The perspective of owners and managers is important because they make decisions to introduce robots in their companies’ operations.…”

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Sustainability Practices: A Comparative Automated Content Analysis Approach of Theory and Practice

“…The process is presented in Figure 1 (35), green sustainable science technology (31), and environmental studies (24). These categories are followed by the engineering industrial (22), engineering manufacturing (15), engineering environmental (12), operations research management science (11), management (9), computer science interdisciplinary application (8), and energy fuels (6).…”

“…The comparative research delves into the opportunities offered by I4.0, including, but not limited to, improvement of various production processes, which includes robotization, as well as how I4.0 has stimulated research on the possibilities and effects outside the smart factories themselves [11,12]. There are 10 major global trends in I4.0, most of which already exist but have been improved, in terms of the features introduced: Demographic shifts, urbanization, knowledge growth, deindustrialization, market globalization compared to protectionism, advanced business models, technology convergence, increase robotics, cybersecurity, climate changes, and global sustainability [13,14].…”

The Fourth Industrial Revolution and the Sustainability Practices: A Comparative Automated Content Analysis Approach of Theory and Practice

“…Most of the papers come from the WOS categories of the environmental sciences (61), green sustainable science technology (57) and environmental studies (43). These categories are followed by the engineering industrial (32), engineering manufacturing (30), engineering environmental (24), operations research management science (19), management (12), computer science interdisciplinary application (10) and energy fuels (9).…”

“…In the search for an answer to this question, research focuses on the elements of I4.0, based on which sustainable development in the economic, social and environmental fields has been achieved over the last ten years. The opportunities offered by I4.0, through the improvement of production processes and the introduction of robotics in processes, have stimulated reflection on how all this will affect the situation outside the smart factories themselves [9,10]. There are ten major global trends in I4.0, most of which already exist but have been improved, in terms of the features introduced: demographic shifts, urbanization, knowledge growth, deindustrialization, market globalization compared to protectionism, advanced business models, technology convergence, increase robotics, cybersecurity, climate changes and global sustainability [11,12].…”