Designing HRD Interventions for Employee-Robot Interaction

The purpose of this study was to identify critical causes of work stress and job satisfaction of nurses, which can contribute to find appropriate organizational supports to help nurses effectively work with a surgical robot. Delphi method was employed to identify the critical stressors and the key causes of job satisfaction of nurses working with a surgical robot. Throughout three consecutive rounds, participants built up consensus about the critical stressors and the key causes of job satisfaction of nurses working with a surgical robot. In addition, they expressed their opinions about appropriate organizational interventions for employee-robot interaction. Based on these responses, desirable organizational supports for nurses were finally identified. During this research, nurses did not tend to mention extraordinary stress or job satisfaction. Although using a surgical robot is a new experience, the causes of work stress and job satisfaction were closely related to the chronic diseases of their organizations. For example, uncertainty concerning treatment and conflict with other nurses stems from a lack of communication or misunderstanding among nurses or between nurses and surgeons. In conclusion, except the process interventions, suggested interventions are not so new to nurses. In other words, most well-known strategies to become a better organization are still working for nurses partnering with a surgical robot. In order to effectively support nurses working with a surgical robot, the priority is to go back to basics for a better organization, not to totally depend on emergent practices.