This study describes and characterizes the interorganizational task environments of 30 community mental health centers (CMHCs). Usingfactor analysis, six types of task environment patterns were identified and correlated with aspects of the organizational context.
"Entrepreneurial" and "collaborative" task environment patterns were charac teristic of privately sponsored CMHCs, serving multi-county areas and using a large number of affiliated organizations to deliver basic services. "Altruistic" task environ ment patterns, were characteristic of rural CMHCs, organizationally diffused over a large number of branch operating sites. The remaining three task environment re lationship patterns were less clearly linked with contextual aspects of the CMHCs.
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