Abstract: Working online has progressively emerged as a prevalent work pattern. Although physical separation from the organization grants employees a high degree of autonomy, it erodes leaders’ sense of control and creates managerial uncertainties. How leaders reinforce control over employees in online work contexts and thus maintain managerial effectiveness has become a contemporary hot topic. Nonetheless, little research has integrated “working online” with “territorial behavior,” impeding a comprehensive understanding of online control and manifestations of leader online territorial behavior. Therefore, the present research aims to, first, develop a leader online territorial behavior measurement that fits the contemporary era, providing a measurement tool for empirical research. Second, this research analyzes the association between working online and leader online territorial behavior. Moreover, while leader online territorial behavior alleviates leader concerns, it violates employee expectations for autonomy, stimulating this research to examine its double-edged sword effect. Finally, this research investigates the moderating effect of digital human resource management. Focusing on the topic of leader online territorial behavior provides practical insights for online control.

Key words: leader online territorial behavior, measurement development, digital human resource management, online control