Home > CIIMA > Vol. 24 (2026) > Iss. 1
Communications of the IIMA
Abstract
Digital transformation is reshaping public-sector work and may alter how public servants evaluate their psychological contract with their employer. This research-in-progress examines how critical incidents associated with digital transformation disrupt psychological contracts and how ideological currency, the perceived commitment to valued societal causes or principles, shapes subsequent trajectories toward renegotiation, repair, or exit. The study uses a qualitative phenomenological design based on semi-structured interviews with 20 employees from five Dutch municipalities experiencing transformation-related changes. The Critical Incident Technique is combined with the dynamic psychological contract phase model to reconstruct disruption trajectories, while thematic analysis identifies recurring patterns across cases. Preliminary findings suggest that disruptions can accumulate over time, contributing to changed expectations, withdrawal, and soft-exit tendencies, while ideological currency may both amplify perceived breaches and buffer their behavioural consequences. The study contributes to understanding dynamic psychological contracts during digital transformation and highlights the importance of safeguarding public-service values.
Recommended Citation
van Haeften, Willemijn; Lub, Xander; Ravesteijn, Pascal; and Peters, Pascale
(2026)
"Public Sector Experiences of Disruptions in the Psychological Contract: The Influence of Ideological Currency and Digital Transformation on Public Servants,"
Communications of the IIMA: Vol. 24:
Iss.
1, Article 19.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58729/1941-6687.1505
Available at:
https://scholarworks.lib.csusb.edu/ciima/vol24/iss1/19
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