Mary Parker Follett (1868–1933) was a social worker, consultant, and author of books on democracy, human relations, and management. She worked as a management and political theorist, introducing such phrases as "conflict resolution," "authority and power," and "the task of leadership." 1868 was a leap year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1933 (MCMXXXIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ... A social worker is a person employed in the administration of charity, social service, welfare, and poverty agencies, advocacy, or religious outreach programs. ... A consultant (from the latin consultus meaning legal expert) is a professional who provides expert advice in a particular domain or area of expertise such as accountancy, technology, the law, human resources, marketing, medicine, finance, public affairs, communication, or more esoteric areas of knowledge, for example engineering of different kinds... Though human resources have been part of business and organisations since the first days of agriculture, the modern concept of human resources began in reaction to the efficiency focus of Taylorism in the early 1900s. ... Management (from Old French ménagement the art of conducting, directing, from Latin manu agere to lead by the hand) characterises the process of leading and directing all or part of an organization, often a business, through the deployment and manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible). ... Management (from Old French ménagement the art of conducting, directing, from Latin manu agere to lead by the hand) characterises the process of leading and directing all or part of an organization, often a business, through the deployment and manipulation of resources (human, financial, material, intellectual or intangible). ... Conflict resolution or Conflictology is the process of resolving a dispute or a conflict, by providing each sides needs, and adequately addressing their interests so that they are satisfied with the outcome. ... Leadership can refer both to the process of leading, and to those entities that do the leading. ...

Follett was born in Massachusetts and spent much of her early life there. In 1898 she graduated from Radcliffe College. Over the next three decades, she published several books, including:

• The Speaker of the House of Representatives (1909)
• The New State (1918)
• Creative Experience (1924)
• Dynamic Administration (1942) (this collection of speeches and short articles was published posthumously)

Follet suggested that organizations function on the principle of power "with" and not power "over." Follett advocated the principle of integration and "power sharing." Her ideas on negotiation, power, and employee participation were influential in the development of organizational studies. Definition Negotiation is the process whereby interested parties resolve disputes, agree upon courses of action, bargain for individual or collective advantage, and/or attempt to craft outcomes which serve their mutual interests. ... The concept of power has many senses, all of which imply control or force. ... Participatory management is the practice of empowering employees to participate in organizational decision making. ... Organizational Studies (also known as Organizational Behavior) is a distinct field of academic study which takes as its subject organizations, examining them using the methods of economics, sociology, political science, anthropology, and psychology. ...

External links

• Mary Parker Follett Foundation
• Biography with notes on her books