Utilizing online video to lead an organizational culture in the digitalized world of the information age

This thesis looks at online video leadership and leading an organizational culture through online video. In this study organizational culture is taken a look at from the leadership perspective and the concept of online video is seen as an internal video ecosystem that connects to for example social business networks. The study aims at finding out how the true values of the organization could be embraced through online video. Furthermore, the study makes an attempt at finding out how significant the role of a new technology like online video is in the organizations that act in the digitalized world of business in the information age. The study begins with a literature review where the concepts of organizational culture, leadership and online video are limited to specific perspectives so that they can be further studied in the empirical part of the thesis. The method used in this study is qualitative and the data for the multi-case study has been gathered by interviewing organizations that represent particularly revealing and interesting cases around the phenomenon. The qualitative data has been collected through theme-centered interviews that have been held for individuals in the expert and management levels of these organizations. As digital transformation is becoming critical to most organizations, it is evident that new ways to interact are affecting how cultures can be lead. The findings and results of the study provide insights into the rapid changes in leadership in the information age. This research describes how online video gives an opportunity to transform documents with meaningless words, decisions without a face, and impersonal and general messages to stories that make the organization believe in a common vision together. The results of the study show that online video ecosystems and using online video is not something that can be detached from the true values of the organization but rather builds on the culture of the organization and presents emerging opportunities to further embrace and reinforce shared artefacts, values and assumptions. Moreover, the thesis discusses the barriers that keep organizations from realizing the opportunities around leading an organizational culture through online video. The purpose of this Master’s thesis is not to make a general how-to guide for leading an organizational culture through online video. However, the results of the study give good implications and empirical evidence on how a leader could be able to utilize online video when leading an organizational culture. The thesis will introduce the reader to current leadership in the digital era and show leadership on online video as something that promotes a collective system that then further encompasses individuals who influence each other towards a specific goal or a mission. This thesis ignites the discussion for the practice of leading an organizational culture through online video