A study conducted by researchers at the Sammy Ofer School of Communications at Reichman University examined the influence of robotic behavior on human leadership dynamics. The research, carried out within the university’s Media Innovation Lab (miLAB), investigated whether a robotic dog could affect the emergence of leadership roles among human team members.
The study involved teams of two participants who were asked to perform a joint search task with a robotic dog, without designated leadership roles or explicit instructions on how to divide responsibilities. When the robot displayed a preference for one participant through affectionate gestures during the initial interaction, that individual frequently assumed a leadership role, which was generally accepted by the other participant. Conversely, when the robot treated both individuals equally, a shared leadership model typically emerged.
The research suggests that subtle robotic behaviors can influence group dynamics, specifically encouraging what the researchers term “emergent leadership” without the need for direct intervention or formal direction. The study also emphasizes the significance of initial human-robot interactions and their potential impact on longer-term collaboration.
The article detailing the study received the Best Paper Award in the Behavioral Research in Human-Robot Interaction category at the HRI2025 robotics conference in Melbourne, Australia. The research was led by doctoral student Elior Carsenti, with contributions from students Adi Manor and Agam Oberlender, in collaboration with Professor Avi Parush from the Technion, and was supervised by Dr. Hadas Erel.
Photo credit: Gilad kavalerchick
