Acceptance of Rpa in Public Sector Institutions

Due to the increasing demands for modern communication channels and the economical fulfillment of public tasks, innovative technologies are needed to improve the efficiency and interoperability of existing IT infrastructures in public institutions. Robotic process automation (RPA) is a promising technology that has the potential to pragmatically automate administrative processes in public institutions, thereby providing much-needed work load reduction for public employees. However, any RPA project will not be successful if the relevant stakeholders’ acceptance of the new technology is insufficient. Until today, research did not address which factors influence the acceptance of RPA in public sector institutions. A relevant question nonetheless, as the peculiarities of the public sector in the operation of processes are well known. Therefore, this study examines the drivers of RPA acceptance and usage behavior in public sector institutions. As a result of a grounded theory study, a theoretical framework with factors for evaluating RPA user acceptance is developed and an understanding of its facilitators is gained. The findings also provide practical recommendations for guiding RPA implementation in public sector institutions.

鉴于现代通信渠道需求日益增长，且需以经济高效的方式完成公共事务，公共机构亟需创新技术以提升现有IT基础设施的运行效率与互操作性。机器人流程自动化（Robotic Process Automation，RPA）是一项极具前景的技术，可切实实现公共机构行政流程的自动化，从而为公职人员有效减轻工作负担。然而，若相关利益相关者对该项新技术的接受度不足，任何RPA项目都难以取得成功。时至今日，学界尚未针对公共部门机构中影响RPA接受度的相关因素展开研究，但鉴于公共部门在流程运行方面的特殊性已是公认事实，该问题无疑具有重要研究价值。故此，本研究聚焦公共部门机构中RPA接受度与使用行为的驱动因素展开探讨。本研究采用扎根理论研究方法，构建了一套用于评估RPA用户接受度的理论框架，并厘清了其促进因素的相关内涵。研究成果同时可为公共部门机构的RPA落地实施提供切实可行的实践建议。