Task Characteristics Matter: When and Why Robot Anthropomorphic Yields Adaptive and Maladaptive Consequences

While existing research has explored the influence of robot anthropomorphism on employee acceptance in workplace environments, studies examining how it differentially impacts proactive work behaviors and work withdrawal during human-robot collaboration remain limited. Drawing on social cognitive theory, this study investigates how task significance and task similarity affect employees’ cognitive and behavioral responses to robot anthropomorphism. To test our hypotheses, we conducted two vignette-based experiments (Study 1, N = 296; Study 2, N = 278) and a three-wave field survey (Study 3, N = 339). Our results reveal that task characteristics (specifically task significance and task similarity) interact with robot anthropomorphism to influence employees’ digital self-efficacy and organizational dehumanization. Additionally, digital self-efficacy and organizational dehumanization differentially affect employees’ proactive work behaviors and work withdrawal behaviors. These findings elucidate the intricate relationship between robot anthropomorphism and task characteristics in shaping employee cognition and behavior, deepening our understanding of effective organizational management practices in the context of human-robot collaboration.