Perspectives on organizational structure and social services’ work with clients–a narrative review of 25 years research on social services

Abstract

The social services in Sweden are clearly influenced by international development towards organisational specialisation. However, little is known about how organisational structures are associated with the client work of social services. The article presents a narrative research review aimed to summarise and discusses empirical research on organisational structures in the social services and how these structures might influence client work. Building on the tension between specialisation and integration, the article identifies both the advantages and the disadvantages of the different approaches to organising social services along a continuum from high levels of specialisation, via coordination and collaboration solutions, to high levels of integration. The findings suggest that, to function adequately, social service organisations need to combine and balance aspects of both specialisation and integration.