Understanding Employee Responses to Software Robots: A Systematic Literature Review

Organizations increasingly use software robots, such as robotic process automation (RPA) and chatbots, to automate tasks previously performed by human employees. While previous research has predominantly focused on technical challenges and organizational outcomes of software robot implementation, less attention has been paid to how employees respond to software robots. Therefore, we conducted a systematic literature review to analyze employee responses to software robots and identify related outcomes and contingency factors. Our results show that there is a wide range of affective, cognitive, and behavioral responses (both positive and negative). While some responses and contingency factors are similar to those found for traditional IS, others seem to be unique to software robots. Our study contributes to IS research by providing a comprehensive overview of employee responses to software robots and sheds light on contingency factors that may influence those responses.