Hodges, Sharon. 1997. INFORMATION PATHWAYS: HOW ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE INFLUENCES THE UTILIZATION OF OUTCOME MEASURES IN THE TEXAS CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH PLAN. Abstract: The purpose of this study was to identify aspects of organizational culture which influence the utilization of measurable outcome information in the planning and delivery of children's mental health services. The study examined factors that both support and impede the use of outcome information in local-level decisions affecting the delivery of children=s mental health services. The goal of the research was to assist human service systems in developing strategies to use outcome information more effectively. The study drew upon anthropological understanding of organizations to compare and contrast the organizational cultures at four local mental health authorities participating in the Texas Children's Mental Health Plan (TCMHP). For the purpose of this study, organizational culture was regarded as constructed through interaction at all levels of organization. This approach directed this research toward an investigation of interactions among individuals at state and local levels of the TCMHP in order to understand how cultural processes influence the utilization of outcome information at the local level. In addition to interviews with state-level staff and a review of state and local documents, data collection included forty-one interviews with key stakeholders at the local level. The findings of this study support the conclusion that patterns of outcome information utilization are deeply rooted in the organizational cultures of the local mental health authorities. Increasing the utility of outcome information for local service-related decisions means increasing the degree of interface between the structure of the outcome evaluation and the organization culture in which the evaluation is occurring. In order to maximize the utility of outcome information, human service systems must carefully consider both the structural domains of their outcome evaluation and the interface between this evaluation structure and the organizational culture where the evaluation is being implemented. Focusing on evaluation structure without adequate consideration of the cultural processes that will influence its implementation reduces the potential for the results of the outcome evaluation to provide crucial feedback on the effectiveness of service delivery strategies.