DGfE Annual Conference on Organizational Education 2025

Thomas Dierker presents the role of AI in social service organizations

The annual conference of the German Society for Educational Science (DGfE) Organizational Education section recently took place at Freie Universität Berlin on the topic of “Organization & Digitality”. The conference was dedicated to the challenges and opportunities associated with increasing digitalization and the use of new technologies in organizations. The focus was on reflecting on digitalization as a socio-technical transformation, particularly with regard to its influence on formal and informal structures as well as on work, education and training processes.

Thomas Dierker, research assistant at the Department of Social Work, gave a presentation at the conference entitled “Organizational pedagogy under the influence of artificial intelligence: a neo-institutionalist perspective”. In his presentation, he addressed the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on organizational learning in social service organizations.

Artificial intelligence as an influencing factor for organizational learning

Social service organizations are key players in the social sector. They coordinate and provide essential services in various areas of Social Work. The increasing spread of AI technologies presents them with a wide range of new challenges and opportunities. AI can automate processes, provide decision-making support and change the way knowledge is generated in organizations. At the same time, however, it also raises questions of ethics, responsibility and adaptability.

In his presentation, Thomas Dierker showed what influence AI has on learning processes in social service organizations and what this can mean for their structural implementation. Existing institutionalized norms, rules and routines determine the extent to which AI technologies are legitimized in organizations and thus shape the structural and practical day-to-day work. They therefore have a central influence on organizational learning processes.

Relevance for the Social Work degree program

The topic of the conference and the content of the presentation are of great importance for the Social Work degree program. Digitalization and the use of AI are also playing an increasingly central role in Social Work. Whether in administration, casework or the analysis of social problems - digital tools and AI-supported applications are increasingly influencing the practice of social services.

It is therefore essential for Social Work students to deal with the effects of digitalization on organizations. They need to understand how AI is changing work processes in social service organizations and what challenges arise for professionals. This includes, for example, questions about responsibility for algorithmic decisions, data protection in digital applications and how to deal with changing forms of interaction between professionals and clients.

By dealing with these topics during their studies, future Social Work professionals can acquire in-depth knowledge of the dynamics of digital transformations. They learn to critically reflect on the introduction and use of digital technologies and to deal with them responsibly in their later professional life.

Participation in scientific conferences such as the annual conference of the DGfE section on organizational pedagogy shows that we are actively involved in the scientific debate on current developments in social work. The knowledge gained is directly incorporated into teaching and prepares our students optimally for the challenges of the digitalized working world in the social sector.