The mechanisms and sub-processes of forced coordination and their effects on interorganizational relationships and on services delivered to elderly and disabled clients in a rural community were examined. Participant observations gathered over 18 months and buttressed with information available from historical and case records from the Community-Based Care Agency (CBCA) Evaluation Project and the results of a formal survey of agency administrators provided the data. Results indicated that forced coordination had limited ability to bring organizations together and to increase work cooperation. Where agency interaction did increase, the gains were offset by fights over domain and greater agency inflexibility. Forced coordination succeeded in bringing little significant improvement in the accessibility, comprehensiveness, efficiency, responsiveness, accountability and quality of services for rural aged clients. (Author)