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TIMO: Towards a Shared Understanding: Knowledge formation in Adult Social Work 

This project aims to produce new research-based knowledge on knowledge formation in adult social work and the utilization of such knowledge in management and service development. 

The project focuses on knowledge formation and knowledge management processes in adult social work by examining how social workers, supervisors, and managers collectively construct an understanding of the knowledge generated in client work and how this knowledge is used in developing organizational practices and managerial decision-making. Knowledge formation is understood not merely as the collection of information but as a multi-layered and context-dependent process intertwined with the development of professional expertise, the everyday practices of client work, and broader administrative and political structures. 

Our project introduces a perspective that emphasizes collaborative knowledge formation into the discussion on knowledge-based management in social work. It complements earlier technology-oriented research on knowledge-based management by emphasizing the interactive, relational, and socially embedded nature of knowledge in social work practice. Technocratic approaches – centered on reporting systems and technological solutions – have tended to overlook the institutional requirements and practice realities of social work, despite their centrality to the effectiveness and quality of services. 

The objectives of the research project are to: 

1. Generate new knowledge and understanding of the grassroots-level processes of knowledge formation and knowledge-based practices in adult social work; 
2. Advance understanding of the challenges and opportunities associated with knowledge production and social work; and 
3. Develop these practices to better support knowledge management in adult social work. 

The project examines the practices through which knowledge is produced and formed, as well as the processes of knowledge management, with particular emphasis on the manifestation of the phenomenon, the dynamics of knowledge formation, and the utilization of knowledge in organizational contexts. 

Our research questions are: 

• How is knowledge produced in the everyday interactions between clients and practitioners in adult social work? 

• What types of knowledge are documented in adult social work, and how does recorded information support professional practice? 

• How is knowledge utilized within adult social work organizations, and what kinds of knowledge-based management practices are in place? 

• What is the relationship between client knowledge produced in interaction, documented knowledge and knowledge-based management in adult social work? 

The project is implemented in collaboration between the University of Turku and the University of Eastern Finland, and it will be carried out from 1.1.2026-31.7.2028.