Organizational size and perceptions in a residential treatment program.

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Sociology
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Residential mental health programs often involve distinct organizational structures.
• The impact of organizational size on client and staff perceptions is an understudied area.
• Transitioning from smaller to larger facilities presents a unique research opportunity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of increased organizational size on client and staff perceptions.
• To compare perceptions within small versus large residential mental health treatment settings.
• To test hypotheses regarding anxiety, self-perception, and environmental views.

Main Methods:

• A naturally occurring centralization of a mental health program was studied.
• Quantitative data on perceptions were collected repeatedly from clients and staff.
• Repeated measures analyses of variance were used to analyze the data.

Main Results:

• Clients and staff reported heightened anxiety in the larger facility.
• Negative changes in self-perception and views of the psychosocial environment were observed.
• Increased psychological distance was noted in the larger organizational context.

Conclusions:

• Organizational size significantly influences client and staff perceptions in mental health settings.
• Larger facilities may be associated with negative psychological outcomes.
• Further research is needed to explore mitigation strategies for negative effects of large organizational size.