ABSTRACT
Some 20 years ago, mental health administrators identified change as the greatest problem they had to face in their roles as managers and decision makers (Davis & Salasin, 1980). Today their answer is the same, for change has become a way of life in most mental health organizations. With this change have come major transformations shaping organizations for the future. Many believe that to withstand profound change, especially that predicted during the new millennium, organizations must be flexible, with loose boundaries and the ability to adapt and respond to the environment and its many stakeholders (Kanter, Stein, & Jick, 1992; Nadler & Tushman, 1997; Sherman & Schultz, 1998; Sifonis & Goldberg, 1996). This chapter explores change and its many consequences for mental health organizations, including: (1) historical perspectives of change, (2) the process of change and its ongoing nature, (3) the forces that resist and promote organizational change, (4) implementation of a change agenda, and (5) special challenges for the future.
