Navigating Data in the Public Sector: Hybrid Professionalism and Sensemaking in Danish Municipalities

This study explores the hybrid sensemaking of data among professionals engaged in data-driven cooperation across municipalities in Denmark. In the context of digital transformation, the use of data has become integral to decision-making processes in the public sector, raising concerns about biases, privacy, and ethical dilemmas. This research focuses on the backstage setting, examining how professionals navigate the interplay of technology, human agency, and welfare state principles. Drawing on Harrits’s (2016) framework of sensemaking, the study highlights how professionals blend formal knowledge with personal, relational, and emotion-based logics in their work. The analysis identifies three key themes: identities, roles, and practices. Professionals act as “creative data literates”, “knowledge brokers”, and “translators”, bridging the gap between data and practical knowledge. The findings underscore the importance of ethical considerations and the need for a nuanced understanding of data’s role in public service. This study provides a framework to conceptualize how professionals assess and make sense of data, offering insights into the evolving nature of professional discretion in a digitized public sector. The implications of this research are particularly relevant for understanding the future of public-sector work in increasingly data-driven environments in the Nordic countries.