Digitalization has fundamentally impacted the public sector and, consequently, the work of public employees. The value-laden nature of digitalization is increasingly recognized in both academic and practical domains. Despite this growing recognition, empirical research on the relationship between digitalization and public values remains scarce. This is problematic, as digitalization may a come at the expense of public values. By studying the relationship between digitalization and public values within public organizations, this research aims to address this gap. This study employed explorative, qualitative and inductive research and conducted interviews (N = 48) in three Dutch public agencies implementing an information technology system for the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI).

The findings demonstrate that professional groups – managers, IT specialists, support staff, and frontline workers – show distinct and consistent value orientations. The findings further indicate that the value orientations of public employees change depending on the context. More precisely, values shift in response to digitalization while employees strongly emphasize intrinsic and conditional values in relation to their work, the focus shifts to IT-related values in digitalization contexts. Notably, certain intrinsic values, such as inclusiveness and humanity, are no longer identified in relation to digitalization. In addition, employees emphasize different values depending on whether digitalization is perceived in an abstract sense or within the context of a specific case.

This study sheds light on the value-laden nature of digitalization and reveals the dynamic relationship between digitalization and public values. It shows the crucial role of the people involved, professional groups in particular, and the importance of context for understanding the relationship. This research thereby contributes to scientific debates on the socio-organizational implications of digitalization and literature on public values. Lastly, this study shows the need to protect and strengthen intrinsic values in the design, implementation and application of digital technologies, informing policy frameworks on digitalization and digitalization efforts in practice.