Mary Parker Follett was an American social worker, management consultant and
pioneer in the fields of organizational theory and organizational behavior.
Along with Lillian Gilbreth, Mary Parker Follett was one of two great women
management gurus in the early days of classical management theory. Follett is
known to be "Mother of Modern Management".
Biography Follett was born in 1868 in Quincy,
Massachusetts to a wealthy Quaker Family. Her family was composed of
Charles Allen Follett, a machinist in a local shoe factory, and Elizabeth Curtis
Follett, respectively of English-Scottish and Welsh descent, and
a younger brother. Follett attended Thayer Academy, a collegiate preparatory
day school in Braintree, while spending much of her free time caring for her
disabled mother. In September 1885 she enrolled in Anna Ticknor's Society to
Encourage Studies at Home. From 1890-91, she studied at the
University of Cambridge and then moved to study at Society for the Collegiate
Instruction of Women in Cambridge. For the next 6 years Follett attended the
university on an irregular basis eventually graduating summa cum laude in
1898. Her Radcliffe thesis, The Speaker of the House of Representatives, was
published in 1896. She would go on to apply to Harvard but would be denied
entrance to the university on the basis that she was a woman.
Over the next three decades, she published many works. She was one of the
first women ever invited to address the London School of Economics, where she
spoke on cutting-edge management issues. She also distinguished herself in the
field of management by being sought out by President Theodore Roosevelt as his
personal consultant on managing not-for-profit, non-governmental, and
voluntary organizations. Ideas and influences
Follett’s educational and work background would shape and influence her
future theories and writings. One of her earliest career positions would see her
working as a social worker in the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston from
1900-08. During this period her interactions with the Roxbury community
would lead her to realize the importance of community spaces as areas to meet and
socialize. Her experience in developing vocational
guidance and evening programs in public schools, she would develop what would be
her life's work and her theories in group dynamics. "The New State", her
second writing published in 1918, would evolve from a report into her second
published work. This publication would go on to lay the foundational theories
for her most important theories and become a major center of attention of
her career. = Organizational theory =
In her capacity as a management theorist, Follett pioneered the
understanding of lateral processes within hierarchical organizations, the
importance of informal processes within organizations, and the idea of the
"authority of expertise"—which really served to modify the typology of
authority developed by her German contemporary, Max Weber, who broke
authority down into three separate categories: rational-legal, traditional
and charismatic. She recognized the holistic nature of
community and advanced the idea of "reciprocal relationships" in
understanding the dynamic aspects of the individual in relationship to others.
Follett advocated the principle of what she termed "integration," or noncoercive
power-sharing based on the use of her concept of "power with" rather than
"power over." Follett contributed greatly to the
win-win philosophy, coining the term in her work with groups. Her approach to
conflict was to embrace it as a mechanism of diversity and an
opportunity to develop integrated solutions rather than simply
compromising. She was also a pioneer in the establishment of community centers.
= Follett's writings = Follett's writings span the decades. In
The New State, she ponders many of the social issues at hand today:
It is a mistake to think that social progress is to depend upon anything
happening to the working people: some say that they are to be given more
material goods and all will be well; some think they are to be given more
"education" and the world will be saved. It is equally a mistake to think that
what we need is the conversion to "unselfishness" of the capitalist
class." = Transformational Leadership =
Ann Pawelec Deschenes found obscure reference pointing to Mary Parker Follet
having coined the term "Transformational Leadership". She quotes from Edith A.
Rusch's The Social Construction of Leadership: From Theory to Praxis:
... writings and lectures by Mary Parker Follet from as early as 1927 contained
references to transformational leadership, the interrelationship of
leadership and followership, and the power of collective goals of leaders and
followers. Burns makes no reference to Follett in
Leadership. However, Rusch was able to trace what appear to be parallel themes
in the works of Burns and Follet." Rusch presents direct references in Appendix
A. Pawelec found further parallels of transformational discourse between
Follet's work and Burns. Influences
Although most of Follett's writings remained known in very limited circles
until republished at the beginning of this decade, her ideas gained great
influence after Chester Barnard, a New Jersey Bell executive and advisor to
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, published his seminal treatment of
executive management, The Functions of the Executive. Barnard's work, which
stressed the critical role of "soft" factors such as "communication" and
"informal processes" in organizations, owed a telling yet undisclosed debt to
Follett's thought and writings. Her emphasis on such soft factors paralleled
the work of Elton Mayo at Western Electric's Hawthorne Plant, and presaged
the rise of the Human Relations Movement, as developed through the work
of such figures as Abraham Maslow, Kurt Lewin, Douglas McGregor, Chris Argyris
and other breakthrough contributors to the field of Organizational Development
or "OD". Her influence can also be seen
indirectly perhaps in the work of Ron Lippitt, Ken Benne, Lee Bradford, Edie
Seashore and others at the National Training Laboratories in Bethel, Maine,
where T-Group methodology was first theorized and developed. Follett's work
set the stage for a generation of effective, progressive changes in
management philosophy, style and practice, revolutionizing and humanizing
the American workplace, and allowing the fulfillment of Douglas McGregor's
management vision—quantum leaps in productivity effected through the
humanization of the workplace. Later life and legacy
Follet died on December 18, 1933, in Boston, Massachusetts. After her death
her work and ideas would disappear from American organizational and management
circles of the time but would continue to gain followership in Great Britain.
In the last decades her work has been rediscovered. During the 1960s her ideas
would re-emerge in Japan where management thinkers would apply her
theories to business. Her texts outline modern ideas under
participatory management: decentralized decisions, integrating role of groups,
and competition authority. Follett managed to reduce the gap between the
mechanistic approach and contemporary approach that emphasizes human behavior.
Her advocacy for schools to be used after hours for recreational and
vocational use affected the Boston area where schools opened their doors after
hours for such uses, and community centers were built where schools were
not located, a revolutionary concept during the 20th century. Her experience
working in this area taught her a lot about notions of democracy and led her
to write more for a wider audience – particularly the business world. She
believed that good practice amongst business people would have a significant
impact on other institutions. Publications
She authored a number of books and numerous essays, articles and speeches
on democracy, human relations, political philosophy, psychology, organizational
behavior and conflict resolution. The Speaker of the House of
Representatives(1896) The New State
Creative Experience The Giving of Orders(1926)
Dynamic Administration: The Collected Papers of Mary Parker Follett
References Further reading
Metcalf, Henry C.; Urwick, Lyndall. The early sociology of management and
organizations: volume 3 dynamic administration - the collected papers of
Mary Parker Follett. London, UK: Taylor & Francis e-Library. ISBN 9780415279857.
Graham, Pauline. Mary Parker Follett - prophet of management: a celebration of
writings from the 1920s. District of Columbia: Beard Books. ISBN
9781587982132. Montana, Patrick J.; Charnov, Bruce H.. Management.
Hauppauge, NY: Barron's Educational Series. ISBN 9780764139314.
Follett, M.P.. The new state: group organization the solution of popular
government - Mary Parker Follett. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania
State University Press. ISBN 9780271018256.
Follett, M.P.. Freedom and Co-ordination: Lectures in business
organization. New York: Management Publications Trust Limited.
Follett, M.P.. Dynamic administration. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishers.
Follett, M.P.. Creative experience. New York: Peter Smith.
Follett, M.P.. The new state: group organization the solution of popular
government. New York: Longrnans, Green & Co.
Pawelec, A. D.. Towards An Understanding Of Transformational Leadership in
Education. Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Master of Education, University of Western Ontario.
Héon, F., Davis A., Jones-Patulli J., Damart S.. The essential Mary Parker
Follett: ideas we need today, Amazon Self-publishing; ISBN 9780993955303
"Mary Parker Follett": Biography Reference Bank.
Stivers, Camilla. "Integrating Mary Parker Follett and Public
Administration." Public Administration Review 2006: 473. JSTOR Journals.
Phillips, John R. "Scholarship And Public Service: The Life And Work Of
Mary Parker Follett". Public Voices 11.2: 47-69. SocINDEX with Full Text.
Bathurst, Ralph, and Nanette Monin. "Shaping Leadership For Today: Mary
Parker Follett’S Aesthetic". Leadership 6.2: 115-131. PsycINFO.
Snider, Keith. "Living Pragmatism: The Case of Mary Parker Follett".
Administrative Theory & Praxis 1998: 274. JSTOR Journals.
Stout, Margaret, and Jeannine M. Love. "The Unfortunate Misinterpretation Of
Miss Follett". Public Voices 13.2: 11-32. SocINDEX with Full Text.
Stout, Margaret, and Jeannine M. Love Integrative Process: Follettian Thinking
from Ontology to Administration. Anoka, MN: Process Century Press.
"Follett, Mary Parker.": Credo Reference Collections.
Parker, L. D. "Control In Organizational Life: The Contribution Of Mary Parker
Follett." Academy Of Management Review 9.4: 736-745. Business Source Complete.
Lester, William. "Mary Parker Follett And Transforming Disaster Response".
Public Voices 11.2: 70-76. SocINDEX with Full Text..
Morse, Ricardo S. "Prophet of Participation: Mary Parker Follett and
Public Participation in Public Administration." Administrative Theory &
Praxis 2006: 1. JSTOR Journals. Gibson, Jane Whitney, et al. "Examining
The Work Of Mary Parker Follett Through The Lens Of Critical Biography." Journal
Of Management History 19.4: 441. Publisher Provided Full Text Searching
File. Fry, Brian R., and J. C. N.
Raadschelders. Mastering Public Administration : From Max Weber To
Dwight Waldo / Brian R. Fry, University Of South Carolina; Jos C. N.
Raadschelders,The Ohio State University. n.p.: Washington, D.C. : CQ Press,
2014., 2014. Texas State - Alkek Library's Catalog.
Natemeyer, Walter E., and Paul Hersey. Classics Of Organizational Behavior.
n.p.: Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, © 2011. Texas State-Alkek Library's
Catalog. Witzel, Morgen. The Encyclopedia Of The
History Of American Management/General Editor, Morgen Witzel. n.p.: Bristol:
Thoemmes Continuum, ©2005. Texas State - Alkek Library's Catalog.
"Constructive Conflict: Advice from the Mother of Modern Management".
ChangingWinds. N.p., December 16, 2009; retrieved April 21, 2015.
External links The Mary Parker Follett Network website,
include full texts of many Follett works Full text of The New State
Pages image of Creative Experience Rusch, Edith A. The Social Construction
of Leadership: Theory to Praxis. Mary Parker Follett, The Law of the
Situation