<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<sec><h3>Background and Purpose</h3>
<p>The emergence of new technologies affects different business areas, including HR activities. Employee communication is an HR activity that can be automated with the application of chatbots. Besides the numerous advantages these artificial entities offer, the challenges generated by them also need to be considered. One such challenge is user acceptance, which plays a substantial role in the implementation. This study aims to explore employees’ behavioural responses to HR chatbots. Thus, we applied the sensemaking perspective, according to which new, unknown phenomena induce the need for interpretation in individuals that simultaneously shape individuals’ behaviour toward the phenomenon.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Methodology</h3>
<p>For data collection, we conducted semi-structured interviews that were analysed with interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). The sample consisted of 6 HR professionals and ten general users. The study took place at the Hungarian organisations of a multinational company.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Results</h3>
<p>The analysis revealed that subjects who attributed positive meanings to the HR chatbot typically engaged in actions that aligned with organisational expectations, i.e., using the digital assistant became part of their routine. Interestingly, the closer HR professionals are to technology in their work activities, the more positively they perceive it. However, having ambivalent feelings towards technology resulted in occasional use or avoidance, while experiencing negative feelings led to the rejection of use.</p>
</sec>
<sec><h3>Conclusion</h3>
<p>We explored the different meanings employees attributed to the HR bot and their actions directed towards it both in the initial and transitional technology adoption phase. The results contribute to understanding how an HR chatbot can be successfully implemented in an organisation.</p>
</sec>
</abstract>

Background and Purpose
The emergence of new technologies affects different business areas, including HR activities. Employee communication is an HR activity that can be automated with the application of chatbots. Besides the numerous advantages these artificial entities offer, the challenges generated by them also need to be considered. One such challenge is user acceptance, which plays a substantial role in the implementation. This study aims to explore employees’ behavioural responses to HR chatbots. Thus, we applied the sensemaking perspective, according to which new, unknown phenomena induce the need for interpretation in individuals that simultaneously shape individuals’ behaviour toward the phenomenon.

Methodology
For data collection, we conducted semi-structured interviews that were analysed with interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). The sample consisted of 6 HR professionals and ten general users. The study took place at the Hungarian organisations of a multinational company.

Results
The analysis revealed that subjects who attributed positive meanings to the HR chatbot typically engaged in actions that aligned with organisational expectations, i.e., using the digital assistant became part of their routine. Interestingly, the closer HR professionals are to technology in their work activities, the more positively they perceive it. However, having ambivalent feelings towards technology resulted in occasional use or avoidance, while experiencing negative feelings led to the rejection of use.

Conclusion
We explored the different meanings employees attributed to the HR bot and their actions directed towards it both in the initial and transitional technology adoption phase. The results contribute to understanding how an HR chatbot can be successfully implemented in an organisation.

The application of the sensemaking perspective for the examination of employees’ behavioural responses to the HR chatbot

Department of Organizational Behaviour and Human Resource Development

Organizacija

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Background and Purpose
The emergence of new technologies affects different business areas, including HR activities. Employee communication is an HR activity...

The application of the sensemaking perspective for the examination of employees’ behavioural responses to the HR chatbot

Published Online: Aug 22, 2023

Page range: 233 - 246

Received: May 04, 2023

Accepted: Jul 18, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/orga-2023-0016

Keywords
HR chatbot, HR bot, Human-chatbot interaction, Chatbot, Sensemaking

© 2023 Vanda Harmat, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

The application of the sensemaking perspective for the examination of employees’ behavioural responses to the HR chatbot

Published Online: Aug 22, 2023

Page range: 233 - 246

Received: May 04, 2023

Accepted: Jul 18, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/orga-2023-0016

KeywordsHR chatbot, HR bot, Human-chatbot interaction, Chatbot, Sensemaking

© 2023 Vanda Harmat, published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
HR chatbot, HR bot, Human-chatbot interaction, Chatbot, Sensemaking