FaceTime or Faceless? An Experimental Study on Exploitative Leadership Across Different Communication Channels and Stress Levels

This experimental study investigates how digital communication and situational stress trigger exploitative leadership—characterized by manipulation and self-interest—in remote work environments. Integrating Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory and Media Richness Theory, the research examines whether leaders use "lean" media (i.e., email) as a resource-preservation strategy to "instrumentalize" subordinates while avoiding the psychological burden of their emotional distress. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, the study induces stress with the Trier Stress Test (Kirschbaum et al., 1993, https://doi.org/10.1159/000119004) in leaders before they delegate tasks to actors through either video calls or email. By combining physiological data (HRV) and AI-supported expert ratings, the study tests whether situational stress and lean communication channels interact to increase exploitative behaviors. Ultimately, the findings aim to identify how digital infrastructure can be redesigned to maintain ethical social guardrails in virtual leadership.