Public value management in digital transformation: a scoping review

• Date: 26 July 2024
• Pages: 845-863
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPSM-02-2024-0055
• Published date: 26 July 2024
• Subject Matter: Public policy & environmental management,Politics,Public adminstration & management
• Author: Barbara Zyzak,Katarzyna Sienkiewicz-Małyjurek,Magnus Rom Jensen

Public value management in digital

transformation: a scoping review

Barbara Zyzak

Department of Sociology and Political Science,

Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

Katarzyna Sienkiewicz-Małyjurek

Department of Management, Faculty of Organization and Management,

Silesian University of Technology, Gliwice, Poland, and

Magnus Rom Jensen

University Library, Library Section for Research Support, Data and Analysis,

Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway

Abstract

Purpose –The aim of this study was to map and scope a body of literature on the interplay between public

value management (PVM) and digital transformation (DT), clarify the concept of PVM in DT, and identify

knowledge gaps by using a scoping review methodology.

Design/methodology/approach –A scoping review was conducted, drawing on the framework proposed

by Arksey and O’Malley (2005) and Levac et al. (2010). A total of 54 publications on the interplay between PVM

and DT were selected for the final analysis from the Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions databases.

Findings –We found that PVM in DT is arelatively unexplored topic and that additional research is needed to

focus on the role of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, especially in the

context of local and regional governments. We also found that researchers have a limited conceptual

understanding of PVM and DT.

Originality/value –This article makes two main contributions. First, although PVM and DT have

contributed to public value research, our findings show a need for more systematic knowledge of these

complementary but distinct approaches. Second, this study provides a valuable addition to the developing

body of research using the scoping review methodology in PAM literature.

Keywords Public value management, Public value theory, Digital transformation, Scoping review,

Public managers, Digital technology

Paper type Literature review

1. Introduction

Public sector reforms have resulted in paradigmatic changes and managerial implications for

public administration and management (PAM) over the past few decades (Alford et al., 2017).

In the search for a new way of thinking in the public sector, the Weberian model of traditional

public administration was challenged in the 1980s by New Public Management (NPM; Hood,

1991). Increased complexity problems, fragmentation of the public sector and an emphasis on

efficiency and effectiveness led to strong criticism of NPM (Christensen, 2012;Reiter and

Klenk, 2019). As a result, NPM was ultimately declared “dead”(Dunleavy et al., 2006), and

several post-NPM concepts emerged. Kim (2020) and Alford and Hughes (2008) argue that

there is no commonly accepted term for the recent post-NPM discussion, and scholars have

introduced various approaches to public administration, such as new public service

International

Journal of Public

Sector

Management

845

The publication is supported by the Excellence Initiative –Research University program. Silesian

University of Technology, 13/040/SDU/10-27-01.

Data sharing: The data that support the findings of this study is available from the corresponding

author, [BZ], upon reasonable request.

The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:

https://www.emerald.com/insight/0951-3558.htm

Received 25 February 2024

Revised 26 May 2024

3 July 2024

Accepted 8 July 2024

International Journal of Public

Sector Management

Vol. 37 No. 7, 2024

pp. 845-863

© Emerald Publishing Limited

0951-3558

DOI 10.1108/IJPSM-02-2024-0055

(NPS; Denhardt and Denhardt, 2000), public value management (PVM; Moore, 1995;Stoker,

2006), digital-era governance (DEG; Dunleavy et al., 2006) and new public governance

(NPG; Osborne, 2006; for more details, see also Christensen, 2012;Kim, 2020;Torfing et al.,

2020). These new approachesare built on diverse theoretical and epistemological foundations.

According to Greve (2015,p.63),“DEG and digitalization are about legitimacy through

transparency, PVM is about value creation, performance and results by innovative public

managers, and NPG and involvement are about organizing resources through networks,

collaboration,partnerships, and engaged citizens.”However,there is still some overlap among

these new ideasand agendas, such as an emphasis on public value andhow to deal effectively

with networks of stakeholdersin policymaking or public service delivery (Alfordand Hughes,

2008;Bryson et al.,2014;Torfing et al.,2020).

Public value theory, as outlined by Moore (1995), has been especially successful in

providing an alternative to the NPM narrative (Panagiotopoulos et al., 2019), and Stoker’s

(2006) PVM model has been acknowledged as a new paradigm and successor to NPM (Alford

and Hughes, 2008;O’Flynn, 2007;Rutgers, 2015). Moreover, the role of public managers in

PVM has been redefined from implementers of political plans to creators of collective value

who deploy resources (money and authority) to fulfil citizens’desires (Greve, 2015).

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the relationship between PVM and DT.

Scholars have argued that the PVM approach provides an overarching framework for post-

competitive, collaborative networks that accounts for the complex transformations fostered

by digital technologies in public sector management (Panagiotopoulos et al., 2019), such as

digital transformation (DT), which is the focus of this article. Others have argued that digital

technology is central to contemporary and succeeding waves of public sector reform

(Dunleavy et al., 2006;Greve, 2015). For example, van Veenstra and Janssen (2012) claim that

information technology (IT) use is crucial for PVM to create public value for citizens, increase

transparency and legitimisation, and strengthen the government’s role through collaboration

in networks to achieve their goals. A recent empirical study showed that high-quality digital

government services in a developing country increased flexibility and simplified processes

for citizens (Buyannemekh et al., 2024), and that a user-centred approach to value creation can

influence the adoption of e-services by citizens (Lopes et al., 2019).

Previous research has demonstrated that different technologies, such as the internet and

artificial intelligence (AI), have improved how governments are organised and communicate

with external stakeholders to support and enhance government operations and service

delivery (Haug et al., 2023). Although this process is often referred to as DT, many scholars

consider it an ambiguous term (Mergel et al., 2019). However, it can generally be understood

as a constant change in the public sector due to its broad scope and complexity, and

technology is a primary driver of transformative efforts (Haug et al., 2023). The Organization

for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD, 2014) describes DT as a transition from

analogue government through e-government –in which information and communication

technology (ICT) is used to facilitate processes –to digital government.

Although PVM and DT refer to public sector reform in the digital age that addresses

sector and community challenges (Stoker, 2006;Lips, 2020) and shifts the focus from public

service production to public service creation (e.g. Criado and Gil-Garcia, 2019;Haug et al.,

2023;Lindquist, 2022;Panagiotopoulos et al., 2019), it is still unclear how these two

approaches relate to each other. There is also a lack of systematic empirical research on PVM

(Bryson et al., 2014;Torfing et al., 2020) or how digital-era tools and social technologies further

the value-creation process in the public sector (Lindquist, 2022;Hartley et al., 2017). Therefore,

the aim of this study was to map and scope a body of literature on the interplay between PVM

and DT, clarify the concept of PVM in DT, and identify knowledge gaps. The research

questions that guided this study were as follows:

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