Although the use of organization development techniques in mental health settings is increasing, there have been no systematic studies of the effects of these efforts. A management and organization development program was conducted in eight mental health agencies. This article describes the stages and activities of this 18-month effort and the results of its evaluation. There were significant, positive results for almost all the participating management teams as well as for their organizations. Implications of these results for mental health administrators considering organization development in their own agencies are discussed.
Jeanette M. Jerrell, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA 15213. James M. Kouzes is an independent management consultant in San Jose, CA. This program was supported by NIMH grant #5-T23-MH14830-03. Requests for reprints should be sent to Dr. Jerrell at the above address.