Video meetings have become a staple in the workplace. A recent study among senior IT industry managers shows that video meetings have a dual impact on remote leadership. Although Teams, Zoom and other tools for video meetings have become embedded in day-to-day organisational practices, their role in leadership has not been thoroughly examined from the perspective of technological opportunities and constraints – until now.
Conducted at the University of Eastern Finland, the study found that video plays a dual role in leadership. On the one hand, video meetings serve as an informative tool when management wishes to share information, for example, in staff briefings or in pre-recorded video messages. On the other hand, video meetings serve as an interactive tool when managers wish to engage in discussions with teams and individual employees.
Video is considered a flexible and efficient means of sharing information. However, interactive use of video technology also has its challenges: the study identified five key tensions that influence the daily work of managers.
The first tension relates to flexibility and inflexibility. While video meetings streamline time management, yet they also create additional strain and result in fully-booked calendars. Flexibility makes it easier to work from different locations and time zones, but an overcrowded schedule causes stress.
The second tension pertains to social connection and social distance. Video makes it possible to maintain a sense of community, but it also limits spontaneous interaction and the expression of emotions. People don’t necessarily experience genuine social connection – even when cameras are turned on.
The third tension identified in the study involves participation and passivity. While technology provides tools for fostering active engagement, managers also face challenges in encouraging participation when people prefer not to turn on their cameras, multitask during video meetings or remain silent behind their screens.
The fourth tension relates to the sharing of formal information and the lack of informal knowledge. Formal information moves efficiently via video connections, but tacit knowledge and subtle cues are easily lost.
The fifth tension highlights equality and inequality. Video meetings increase equality between locations, but at the same time accentuate differences in how employees participate and work.
The study introduces a new theoretical framework that describes the dual role of video technology in remote leadership. The findings emphasise that successful remote leadership is not only about a leader's communication skills but also about the ability to find a balance between what technology enables and what it limits.
”Our study offers concrete recommendations for managers who wish to support their employees' well-being, interaction and ability to work in digital environments,” says Professor Jonna Koponen of the University of Eastern Finland.
Research article: Koponen J, Salin L, Cortellazzo L (2026), "Dual edge: exploring technological affordances and constraints of video technology in e-leadership". Information Technology & People, Vol. 39 No. 8 pp. 1–31, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-09-2024-1157
