Chelsea Phillips

Queensland University of Technology, Maastricht University

Papers

Total Citations

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About

Chelsea Phillips is an emerging scholar whose research sits at the intersection of service management, robotics, and organizational well-being. Her work critically examines the transformative—and often disruptive—effects of service robots on the relationships between customers, frontline employees, and managers, a dynamic she has conceptualized as the "human service triad." Phillips's most influential contribution, "The Robotic-Human Service Trilemma" (2023, 26 citations), introduces a compelling framework for understanding the well-being challenges that arise when automation enters human-centered service environments. Building on this foundation, her 2025 study on task allocation strategies (13 citations) breaks new ground by exploring how frontline employees navigate what she terms the "intrusion challenge"—the disruption to employee-customer relationships caused by robotic presence. More recently, Phillips co-developed the Service Robot Innovation Canvas (2024), a practical strategic tool helping organizations rethink their marketing approaches in an increasingly automated landscape. Across her growing body of work, Phillips demonstrates a rare ability to bridge theoretical rigor with managerial relevance, making her a distinctive voice in shaping how businesses and workers adapt to the age of service robotics.