Our primary purpose in this article is to describe a conceptual approach to research on mental health organizations that we believe may be useful for social scientists and policymakers interested in understanding and improving mental health services. To illustrate the conceptual approach, we will describe briefly a study of community mental health centers that we are currently conducting at the Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan. In effect, this article presents a case study of one approach to research on mental health organizations. THE ADAPTATION OF MENTAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS Changes in Structure, Technology, and Ideology