Guide robots' acceptance in organizations: user self-efficacy and robots' organizational value

This article explores the self-efficacy of guide robot (GR) users and assesses the value of integrating GRs into organizational workflows.

The study consisted of two stages, both conducted in Estonia. First, we carried out a preliminary quantitative pilot study by applying the newly developed Guide Robot User Self-Efficacy Scale (GRUSES) in controlled and uncontrolled organizational settings. This pilot stage examined users' confidence in using GRs across demographic variables, prior robot experience, and interaction contexts, and generated initial insights for the qualitative stage. In the main stage, we conducted semi-structured interviews with three stakeholder groups: GR end users, organizational administrators, and GR distributors.

The preliminary survey indicated that prior robot experience was associated with higher self-efficacy, whereas age and gender differences were not statistically significant in this sample. Users' self-efficacy was lower in uncontrolled real-life use than in controlled guided scenarios, although this difference should be interpreted cautiously because the groups were not randomly assigned. The qualitative interviews, which form the core of the study, identified technical, user-related, and organizational barriers to integrating GRs into everyday workflows.

Based on these findings, we propose an exploratory three-actor framework linking robot capability, user readiness, and organizational readiness. The article also provides recommendations for guide-robot deployment in service organizations. As the GRUSES instrument remains under development, the survey results are interpreted as exploratory and hypothesis-generating.