This study of 76 psychiatric hospitals suggests that organizations may change over time in several ways. In these cases, the administrative component became larger with age. In addition, the divisions of labor became more specialized. Third, the operational staffs became less professionalized over time. More important, however, the young hospitals expressed a broad but short-term (plus-lateral—minus-longitudinal) orientation toward their clients, while old hospitals manifested a specifically focused but long-term (minus-lateral—plus-longitudinal) orientation toward the client biography. Finally, there is an exploration and discussion of the forces—both internal and external to the organization—which may account for these changes over time.