New Publication: Failure as a challenge in Social Work
While failure is now widely discussed in business and the start-up scene and is often seen as a chance, failure still seems to be a taboo subject in social work.
- Professors from IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) publish anthology: “Scheitern in Praxis und Wissenschaft der Sozialen Arbeit. Reflexions- und Bewältigungspraktiken von Fehlern und Krisen.”
- Authors show that failure in social work practice is still taboo compared to business and the start-up scene.
- Editors of the anthology are Prof. Dr. Stefanie Kessler and Prof. Dr. Karsten König.
Erfurt, Germany, 15 March 2024. While failure is now widely discussed in business and the start-up scene and is often seen as a chance, failure still seems to be a taboo subject in social work. Important principles such as "Leave no child behind!" or "Help must not fail!" lead to mistakes and problems being concealed rather than being taken as an opportunity for improvement. In the new anthology "Scheitern in Praxis und Wissenschaft der Sozialen Arbeit. Reflexions- und Bewältigungspraktiken von Fehlern und Krisen." 26 academics deal with failure as a challenge for social work. The editors of the anthology are Prof. Dr. Stefanie Kessler and Prof. Dr. Karsten König from IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU). Both hold a professorship in social work and, together with the authors of the anthology, highlight different dimensions of failure in practice and science.
"In social work, our strength does not lie in our fear of making mistakes, but in our ability to provide even better support to the people we work with on a daily basis. Every setback can also be an opportunity to critically question the approaches and concepts we use in practice and improve them based on feedback. This enables us to help people who need our support even better," says Dr. Stefanie Kessler, Professor of Social Work at IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU), Hanover.
Social work practice is particularly attentive to failure
Even though social work practice is particularly attentive to failure, questions remain unanswered: Why is it that social work is not able to come to terms with its own failure? Why is the competence of failure not brought into the current social debate, in which the failure of change processes seems omnipresent? Social work is particularly sensitive to when things go wrong in practice. Whether preventative or as a direct intervention, social work activities are geared towards overcoming crisis and problem situations. Many methods are aimed at preventing possible failure or dealing with situations that seem hopeless.
Social interaction with failure in practice and studies
Six articles specifically address the taboo subject of failure in social work practice. The authors show that failure is still concealed and how difficult it is to admit one's own experiences of failure: It is considered a weakness to admit mistakes and it endangered the funding of measures and projects if failure is talked about. At the same time, it shows how students can learn to recognise failure and develop a positive failure culture.
The anthology is the result of a symposium organised by Volkswagen Foundation, which took place in December 2022 at the Herrenhausen Palaces in Hanover.
About Social Work degree programme at IU
How do you mediate between family members in conflict? What are the requirements for granting asylum? How can people be supported in crisis situations? How can people with disabilities be given new perspectives? The dual study programme Social Work is dedicated to address these and many other questions. It is based on a sound scientific foundation and is particularly method-orientated. During the studies, students deal with the objectives, concepts, and structures of social work, immerse deep into the associated sciences and learn how to provide practical help - always case-related, realistic and resource-oriented. The study programme is also offered by IU as a distance learning programme and in the myStudium format. With over 20,000 active students, IU is the largest academic training provider in the field of social work.
About the editors
Prof. Dr. Stefanie Kessler, Professor of Social Work at IU International University of Applied Sciences in the dual study programme in Hanover. Main areas of research: Learning in and from organisations, political action and education in social work and schools as well as academic practice in social work. Contact: stefanie.kessler@iu.org
Prof. Dr. Karsten König, Professor of Social Work at IU International University of Applied Sciences in the dual study programme in Dresden. His work focuses on inclusive educational research from special schools to universities, social work in public spaces and empirical social work research and evaluation. Contact: karsten.koenig@iu.org
Table of contents and reading samples as well as further information and material on the anthology „Scheitern in Praxis und Wissenschaft der Sozialen Arbeit. Reflexions- und Bewältigungspraktiken von Fehlern und Krisen.“ can be found here.
With over 130,000 students, IU International University of Applied Sciences (IU) is the largest university in Germany. The private, state-recognised educational institution with its headquarters in Erfurt began operations in 2000 and is now represented in more than 35 German cities. Students from over 190 nations design their studies according to their needs: whether practice-integrated dual studies, flexible distance learning or individual “myStudium”, which combines online self-study and campus life. IU wants to give people worldwide access to personalised education for a fulfilled and self-determined life. In more than 250 bachelor's, master's and MBA programmes, including over 50 in English, IU teaches students key skills relevant to the future. A digitally supported learning environment and the use of AI solutions help students to achieve optimal learning results and experiences. IU is one of the first universities in the world to have developed and deployed its own AI-supported learning buddy. IU cooperates with over 15,000 companies and supports them in the academic training of professionals. Partners include Motel One, Vodafone, AWO and Deutsche Bahn. Further information at: iu.org
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