Employee Delight: Conceptualization, Antecedents, and Consequences

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.