Embracing sustainable diversity climates in hospitality and tourism: insights from prospective employees on human–robot collaboration

As service robots increasingly collaborate with human employees in hospitality and tourism, understanding their complex interactions is crucial. This study explores prospective hospitality employees' perceptions of sustainable diversity climates involving human–robot collaboration using the Modified Model of Goal-Directed Behavior (MMGB). A research model integrating attitude, subjective norms, expectancy, perceived behavioral control, and desire was tested through an online survey of 492 potential US hospitality employees. Generalized Linear Modeling and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis were applied to find solutions for better diversity climates. Results show that these factors influence sustainable-behavioral intentions,differing according to groups of sustainable development goals (SDGs). Three SDG groups (efficient allocation, fair distribution, and sustainable scale) were found to have distinctiveness and similarities. Our findings suggest that communicating MMGB's initiatives, fostering innovation, and tailoring recruitment strategies to sustainability-oriented segments are key to cultivating inclusive, future-oriented workplaces.