An exploratory study on the Impact of Administrative Traditions on Value Profiles and Value Conflicts of Dutch and Spanish Academic Professionals

The value profiles of public sector workers and the value conflicts they face are dependent on organizational characteristics, it has been suggested. However, little is known about the influence of administrative traditions on these profiles and conflicts in profes sional settings. Whereas some suggest administrative traditions might be influential, others maintain that professional characteristics determine which values are considered important and which value conflicts are experienced. This exploratory study compares Dutch and Spanish academic teachers in order to empirically assess the extent of any variation in the value profiles and value conflicts of professionals working in the same sector but in countries with different state traditions. The analysis of Q methodological data and interview data (N = 63) reveals similarities as well as differences and suggests that it is an interplay between professional characteristics and a country’s administrative tradition that determines which values are considered to be important and which conflicts are experienced.