Although the automation of work is not new, advancements in artificial intelligence, worker shortages, and the Covid-19 pandemic have accelerated recent debates. Especially in service sectors, traditional service delivery is gradually merging with machine components, requiring organizations to rethink models of service delivery. Since the adoption of self-service technology (SST) grows, users benefit from improved access and self-management without human touchpoint, yet the impact of SST on workers requires further exploration. While technology-enabled workplace transformation is well researched, unified frameworks and strategies are missing to understand the interplay of augmentation and automation as SST becomes a ubiquitous component of service. Through an integrative review we explore most cited and most recent literature on automation, augmentation, and SST. In total, we review 41 articles. This review provides a status quo on the topics automation, augmentation, and SST. Providing a combined lens, five emerging themes are discovered for future research: Social (A)symmetries, Competing Intelligences, Redistributed Responsibilities and New Skills, Merging Spaces and New Ecosystems, Governance and Ethics. This article provides an interdisciplinary review of service automation, extends previous scholarly work, and encourages new pathways for hybrid service delivery. Furthermore, embedded in the concept of a human-centered Industry 5.0, we suggest automation–augmentation entanglement as holistic framework reflecting the interplay of human and technology in the workplace.
Keywords: service automation; industry 5.0; augmented work; self-service technology; artificial intelligence; integrative review
Authors: Sophie Altrock, Anne-Laure Mention, Tor Helge Aas
