IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jinfst/v74y2023i3p323-338.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Subgroup formation in human–robot teams: A multi‐study mixed‐method approach with implications for theory and practice

Author

Listed:
  • Sangseok You
  • Lionel P. Robert

Abstract

Human–robot teams represent a challenging work application of artificial intelligence (AI). Building strong emotional bonds with robots is one solution to promoting teamwork in such teams, but does this come at a cost in the form of subgroups? Subgroups—smaller divisions within teams—in all human teams can undermine teamwork. Despite the importance of this question, it has received little attention. We employed a mixed‐methods approach by conducting a lab experiment and a qualitative online survey. We (a) examined the formation and impact of subgroups in human–robot teams and (b) obtained insights from workers currently adapting to robots in the workplace on mitigating impacts of subgroups. The experimental study (Study 1) with 44 human–robot teams found that robot identification (RID) and team identification (TID) are associated with increases and decreases in the likelihood of a subgroup formation, respectively. RID and TID moderated the impacts of subgroups on teamwork quality and subsequent performance in human–robot teams. Study 2 was a qualitative study with 112 managers and employees who worked collaboratively with robots. We derived practical insights from this study that help situate and translate what was learned in Study 1 into actual work practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Sangseok You & Lionel P. Robert, 2023. "Subgroup formation in human–robot teams: A multi‐study mixed‐method approach with implications for theory and practice," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 74(3), pages 323-338, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:jinfst:v:74:y:2023:i:3:p:323-338
    DOI: 10.1002/asi.24626
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24626
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/asi.24626?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Read, Wayne & Robertson, Nichola & McQuilken, Lisa, 2011. "A novel romance: The Technology Acceptance Model with emotional attachment," Australasian marketing journal, Elsevier, vol. 19(4), pages 223-229.
    2. Bertolt Meyer & Meir Shemla & Jia Li & Jürgen Wegge, 2015. "On the Same Side of the Faultline: Inclusion in the Leader's Subgroup and Employee Performance," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(3), pages 354-380, May.
    3. L. G. Pee & Shan L. Pan & Lili Cui, 2019. "Artificial intelligence in healthcare robots: A social informatics study of knowledge embodiment," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 70(4), pages 351-369, April.
    4. Michael Boyer O'Leary & Mark Mortensen, 2010. "Go (Con)figure: Subgroups, Imbalance, and Isolates in Geographically Dispersed Teams," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 21(1), pages 115-131, February.
    5. Martin Hoegl & Hans Georg Gemuenden, 2001. "Teamwork Quality and the Success of Innovative Projects: A Theoretical Concept and Empirical Evidence," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(4), pages 435-449, August.
    6. Michael Mäs & Andreas Flache & Károly Takács & Karen A. Jehn, 2013. "In the Short Term We Divide, in the Long Term We Unite: Demographic Crisscrossing and the Effects of Faultlines on Subgroup Polarization," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 24(3), pages 716-736, June.
    7. Russell W. Belk, 2013. "Extended Self in a Digital World," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 40(3), pages 477-500.
    8. Lionel P. Robert Jr & Alan R. Dennis & Manju K. Ahuja, 2018. "Differences are Different: Examining the Effects of Communication Media on the Impacts of Racial and Gender Diversity in Decision-Making Teams," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 29(3), pages 525-545, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ulrich Leicht‐Deobald & Hendrik Huettermann & Heike Bruch & Barbara S. Lawrence, 2021. "Organizational Demographic Faultlines: Their Impact on Collective Organizational Identification, Firm Performance, and Firm Innovation," Journal of Management Studies, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 58(8), pages 2240-2274, December.
    2. Ambos, Tina C. & Ambos, Björn & Eich, Katharina J. & Puck, Jonas, 2016. "Imbalance and Isolation: How Team Configurations Affect Global Knowledge Sharing," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 22(4), pages 316-332.
    3. Daniel Tzabbar & Alex Vestal, 2015. "Bridging the Social Chasm in Geographically Distributed R&D Teams: The Moderating Effects of Relational Strength and Status Asymmetry on the Novelty of Team Innovation," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(3), pages 811-829, June.
    4. Shuai Chen & Duanxu Wang & Yun Zhou & Ziguang Chen & Daoyou Wu, 2017. "When too little or too much hurts: Evidence for a curvilinear relationship between team faultlines and performance," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 34(4), pages 931-950, December.
    5. Elshandidy, Tamer & Bamber, Matthew & Omara, Hossam, 2024. "Across the faultlines: A multi-dimensional index to measure and assess board diversity," International Review of Financial Analysis, Elsevier, vol. 93(C).
    6. Sébastien Brion & Vincent Chauvet & Barthelemy Chollet & Caroline Danièle Mothe, 2012. "Project leaders as team boundary spanners: Relational antecedents and performance outcomes," Post-Print hal-00919228, HAL.
    7. Qiao, Yidan & Gao, Xinwei & Ma, Lin & Chen, Dengkai, 2024. "Dynamic human error risk assessment of group decision-making in extreme cooperative scenario," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 249(C).
    8. Nour El Houda Ben Amor & Mohamed Nabil Mzoughi, 2023. "Do Millennials’ Motives for Using Snapchat Influence the Effectiveness of Snap Ads?," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(3), pages 21582440231, July.
    9. Martin P. Fritze & Andreas B. Eisingerich & Martin Benkenstein, 2019. "Digital transformation and possession attachment: examining the endowment effect for consumers’ relationships with hedonic and utilitarian digital service technologies," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 19(2), pages 311-337, June.
    10. Leban, Marina & Seo, Yuri & Voyer, Benjamin G., 2020. "Transformational effects of social media lurking practices on luxury consumption," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 116(C), pages 514-521.
    11. Kathleen S. Micken & Scott D. Roberts & Jason D. Oliver, 2020. "The digital continuum: the influence of ownership, access, control, and Cocreation on digital offerings," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 10(1), pages 98-115, June.
    12. Branco-Illodo, Ines & Heath, Teresa, 2020. "The ‘perfect gift’ and the ‘best gift ever’: An integrative framework for truly special gifts," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 120(C), pages 418-424.
    13. Sajid Haider & Rana Farhan Ali & Munir Ahmed & Asad Afzal Humayon & Muhammad Sajjad & Jamil Ahmad, 2019. "Barriers to implementation of emergency obstetric and neonatal care in rural Pakistan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 14(11), pages 1-17, November.
    14. Maria Vernuccio & Tiziano Vescovi, 2016. "Branding in the digital era," MERCATI & COMPETITIVIT?, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(4), pages 15-22.
    15. Alessandra Tognazzo & Paola Angela Maria Mazzurana, 2017. "Friends doing business. An Explorative Longitudinal Case Study of Creativity and Innovation in an Italian Technology-Based Start-Up," Journal of Entrepreneurship, Management and Innovation, Fundacja Upowszechniająca Wiedzę i Naukę "Cognitione", vol. 13(2), pages 77-103.
    16. Gaudeul, Alexia & Giannetti, Caterina, 2015. "Privacy, trust and social network formation," University of Göttingen Working Papers in Economics 269, University of Goettingen, Department of Economics.
    17. da Silva, Filipa Pires & Mosquera, Pilar & Soares, Maria Eduarda, 2022. "Factors influencing knowledge sharing among IT geographically dispersed teams," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    18. Eisenberg, Julia & Mattarelli, Elisa, 2017. "Building Bridges in Global Virtual Teams: The Role of Multicultural Brokers in Overcoming the Negative Effects of Identity Threats on Knowledge Sharing Across Subgroups," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 23(4), pages 399-411.
    19. Agnieszka Zablocki & Bodo Schlegelmilch & Michael J. Houston, 2019. "How valence, volume and variance of online reviews influence brand attitudes," AMS Review, Springer;Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 9(1), pages 61-77, June.
    20. Matt Beane & Wanda J. Orlikowski, 2015. "What Difference Does a Robot Make? The Material Enactment of Distributed Coordination," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 26(6), pages 1553-1573, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jinfst:v:74:y:2023:i:3:p:323-338. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.asis.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.