Analysis of the Conditions Influencing the Assimilation of the Robotic Process Automation by Enterprises

Abstract

More and more companies are implementing the RPA (Robotic Process Automation) tools that belong to the newly emerging category of IT solutions used to automate business processes and enable the development of the so-called software robots. The term robot has a metaphorical meaning here – it is a special kind of software, not a device. Due to the fact that this is a new product category and many companies do not have extensive experience in this area yet, the use of the RPA tools is associated with many risks. At the same time, due to the increasingly competitive environment, it seems that there is no turning back from the implementation thereof. For this reason, two goals have been set in the article. The first is to build and verify a research model based on the TOE model (Technology-Organization-Environment), allowing for the identification of the determinants (drivers) influencing the assimilation of the robotic process automation by enterprises. The second goal is to develop recommendations for the managers responsible for implementing the RPA tools that will allow for increasing the assimilation of the robotic process automation. The following methods were used to accomplish these goals: literature research, a survey (conducted on 267 Polish enterprises) and statistical analysis (with the use of the structural equation models).