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This paper outlines an action research project in a ward with dementia patients, a Competence Center for Dementia and the University college of Bodø. The project was designed as an approach to working collaboratively with the staff in the ward. The aim of the project was to improve and change practice in a ward where the staff experienced a high degree of frustration, and in addition improve the staff’s knowledge concerning the illness dementia. It quickly became clear that the employees had significant cooperation problems with colleagues and the leadership. We soon realized that this would have overshadowed the possibilities to obtain new learning and commit oneself in relation to concrete knowledge development. Inadequate organization and poorly defined areas of responsibility also created problems. All the above-mentioned factors influenced the staff’s opportunity to utilize new knowledge. Our experience from the project also points to the importance of management involvement in the process, a process where the personnel were directly involved in the experience of «owning» problems, combined with the experience of having direct impact on how the problems were solved. To devote plenty of time to reflection and discussion was important, and also to get used to the idea of having to cope with a slow-down of the process, without being discouraged or losing sight of the intention of the project. This project explores the use of action research and the outcome of the project.

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