AFTER DESCRIBING THE FIVE SAMPLE INSTITUTIONS AND THEIR DEPARTMENTAL STRUCTURES, THE ANALYSIS (BASED ON QUESTIONNAIRE AND FIELD DATA) SUPPORTS TWO PROPOSITIONS. (1) AS ORGANIZATIONAL COMPLEXITY INCREASES AND ORGANIZATION-COMMUNITY RELATIONS LEAD TO GREATER EXTERNAL COMMITMENTS BY THE SUPERINTENDENT, THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE MUST SHARE POWER. IN A MIXED-GOAL INSTITUTION IT IS LIKELY THAT POWER IS SHARED WITH A PERSON WITH BASICALLY CUSTODIAL AIMS, WHILE IN INSTITUTIONS WITH DOMINANT TREATMENT GOALS POWER MUST BE GIVEN TO A PERSON CONCERNED WITH TREATMENT GOALS. (2) THE BALANCE OF POWER AMONG GROUPS IS ALSO A FUNCTION OF ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS: SOCIAL SERVICE PERSONNEL ACQUIRE GREAT INFLUENCE IN TREATMENT INSTITUTIONS, WHILE COTTAGE PARENT INFLUENCE IS LESS, EXCEPT WHEN THE MAJOR FOCUS OF THE INSTITUTION IS ON THE GROUP-LIVING SITUATION, AS IN THE MILIEU INSTITUTION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)...ELW