Work

Employee Delight: Conceptualization, Antecedents, and Consequences

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT This article examines the concept of employee delight as a distinct construct within organizational behavior. Based on a systematic literature review, we analyze 10 empirical studies that explicitly address this phenomenon. We propose a multidimensional conceptualization of employee delight as an affective state of highly positive valence and high arousal, which emerges when work experiences significantly exceed employee expectations. We identify the main theoretical perspectives (emotional, cognitive, needs‐based, and integrative), analyze current measurement approaches, and develop a model that articulates its antecedents and consequences. We also conceptually delineate this construct from related ones and propose a framework for its empirical evaluation to enrich the literature on exceptional work experiences.

Source: Human Resource Development Quarterly

DOI: 10.1002/hrdq.70001

Authors: Dalilis Escobar‐Rivera, Alba Manresa, Eva Rimbau‐Gilabert

Institutions: Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, Universitat Internacional de Catalunya

Language: English

Topic: Job Satisfaction and Organizational Behavior

Subfield: Organizational Behavior and Human Resource Management

Field: Business, Management and Accounting

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,700