An exploratory study of alternative configurations of governing boards of substance abuse treatment centers

Boards of directors are the ultimate governing authorities for most organizations providing substance abuse treatment. A governing board may establish policies, monitor and improve operations, and represent a treatment organization to the public. This article explores alternative configurations of governing boards in a national sample of 500 substance abuse treatment centers. The study proceeds from the premise that boards may be configured with varying levels of engagement in five aspects of internal management and external connections in treatment center operating environments. Based on interviews with treatment center administrative directors, four clusters emerge, describing boards that are (a) active and balanced across internal and external domains, (b) active boundary spanners concentrating primarily on external relationships, (c) focused primarily on internal organizational management, and (d) relatively inactive. In post hoc analysis, we found that placement in these clusters is associated with treatment center attributes such as rate of growth and financial results, use of evidence-based practices, and provision of integrated care.