The Management Theory of Mary Parker Follett

The management theory of Mary Parker Follett

Follett, known as the “mother of modern management,” believed management was “the art of getting things done through people.” Although she never managed a for-profit enterprise, she offered valuable insight into the importance of managers and supervisors “powering with” employees, rather than “powering over” them, and collaborating with workers to solve conflicts. 

“Leadership is not defined by the exercise of power but by the capacity to increase the sense of power among those led,” Follett famously said. “The most essential work of the leader is to create more leaders.”

To develop her theory of management, Follett practiced these principles of coordination:

• Direct contact: Direct contact between employees and managers helps organizations avoid conflict and misunderstandings. Holding regular meetings and discussing assignments in person are simple ways to practice this principle.
• Early stages: Managers should learn and master coordination right away. No employee should feel less important than another; each has a significant role that complements the others.
• Reciprocal relationship: Every worker, regardless of their level in the hierarchy, is responsible for pulling their weight and integrating with the rest of the organization. No single person should be trying less or more than another; it’s a team effort.
• Continuous process: Managers must maintain coordination. Don’t just learn these principles and forget about them; channel them in everything you do.

“Considered by many as ahead of her time, Follett espoused more human-centric approaches to management (e.g., participative decision-making over command and control), while her contemporaries, like [Frederick] Taylor and [Max] Weber, were taking far more mechanistic approaches,” Matt Paese, senior vice president of leadership insights at Development Dimensions International, told us.

How Follett’s theory applies to SMBs

Follett’s management theory is still in favor today. Small businesses and employee-centric companies may find profound success by adopting certain elements of her theory for everyday practices. Here are just a few of the benefits SMBs stand to gain from Follett’s management theory.

Company structure

Follett didn’t believe in eliminating hierarchy. Instead, she said small businesses have an opportunity to take advantage of a “flat hierarchy,” meaning a structure with little or no middle management between employees and executives. Because small companies often operate with small teams, executives and business owners can facilitate closer relationships with their employees and “power with” them instead of “powering over” them. 

“[Follett] rejected more authoritarian approaches and emphasized guiding people to the expression of their collective/shared power, as opposed to the singular influence of one individual’s power over others,” Paese said.

In addition, employees at small businesses often wear many hats to accomplish business goals. In this environment, executives can champion the “power with” principle by expressing gratitude for the value each employee brings to the organization as a whole.

Employee engagement

The core, forward-thinking belief of Follett’s work — that an employee will be happier, more productive and more engaged if given the autonomy to complete their job — remains at the center of many successful work environments today. Follett’s principles motivate employees to increase their engagement and loyalty to an organization by establishing ownership and responsibility for success within each level of a hierarchy.

“If everyone is part of the conversation, you’re more likely to keep them excited about their work,” said Eliot Vancil, CEO of Fuel Logic.

Types of employee engagement depend on the industry, company size and other factors, but a typical method includes empowering employees to collaborate. Establishing teams for projects, holding virtual meetings during remote work times, and designing an open floor plan with designated creativity spaces can encourage employee engagement through collaboration. 

Flexibility

Within autonomy lies flexibility. By establishing personal ownership of company goals while allowing for flexibility in reaching them, employers communicate that they trust their employees to find the most efficient and productive way to contribute to the team. Flexibility also allows for agile, creative problem-solving to find effective solutions that benefit the business in the long run.

Follett’s preference for two-way confidential conversations helps with providing flexibility in small business settings. Leaders and staffers must build mutual trust so both parties are comfortable discussing problems. This way, they can address issues before they escalate. 

Cross-team employee collaboration

Cross-team collaboration is another aspect of Follett’s management theory that fosters organizational coordination. Successful businesses champion two-way relationships between executives and employees just as much as relationships among co-workers. 

Buddy systems, mentor-mentee relationships and other partnership programs that encourage collaboration between staffers who don’t often work together offer several advantages for small businesses. Such partnerships help each party learn about the other’s responsibilities in the organization’s shared objectives, as well as allow employees to learn different skills that bolster other areas of the business. 

For example, at a niche boutique, someone who works in sales could provide interesting insights to a co-worker who’s focused on growing web traffic to the business’s online store, and vice versa. Similarly, an employee who works in the reception area at a medical testing center could offer observations to their peers who work primarily with patients after initial processing. 

Conflict management

Follett’s theory supports communication among employees and company leaders, which is essential for effective conflict management. When conflicts arise, a preestablished, transparent communication system facilitates honest discussions about desires versus needs and allows a win-win situation for all parties involved. 

“Follett’s theories can truly be a game-changer for a smaller team, because she emphasizes resolving conflicts by talking things through and focusing on shared power,” Vancil said. “You let people bring their own solutions to the table. That approach fosters creativity.”

Let’s say a marketing team and a product development team disagree on a product launch date. Instead of forcing one team to concede, Follett’s theory would encourage management to speak with each department first to determine the reason for each party’s suggested launch date. 

If the product team wants to launch by the end of the month to meet quarterly sales targets and the marketing team wants more time to create a stronger ad campaign, Follett’s “integration” principle would suggest that the company launch the product to meet the product team’s deadline while rolling out the full marketing campaign in phases. This solution would satisfy both parties’ needs.

How to use the Follett principles

There are three key principles in Follett’s management theory: integration, “power with” and group power. By employing Follett’s principles, businesses will foster interpersonal relationships among leaders and employees, ultimately empowering their staff and boosting coordination.

Integration

Follett argued that workers of all levels should integrate to reach a business’s goals. If a conflict occurs, there should be a conscious effort to pull instead of push and to work as a team to resolve the issue. Because each member is doing their part, they’ll be more likely to be content with the result.

Follett’s approach to conflict resolution through integration often produces beneficial results for all parties. Her “push versus pull” concept illustrates the importance of meeting every side of a conflict’s underlying needs, rather than its spoken desires, to achieve the intended outcome.

Integration involves fostering transparent conversations with executives and employees about differences, interests, desires, needs and conflicts, and then finding an agreeable solution. The integration principle works because you find actionable solutions to internal and external conflicts and discard unnecessary personal drama.

“Power with”

Follett’s “power with” philosophy provides an alternative to the coercive, traditional “power over” approach. In the latter, managers have power over employees, supervisors have power over managers, and business owners have power over supervisors, managers and employees. Follett’s “power with” principle encourages collaboration among all levels of the established hierarchy without disparaging those at lower levels. “Power with” boosts morale, may prevent absenteeism and can enrich the entire company. 

However, Follett didn’t recommend eliminating hierarchy. Rather, she emphasized that employees should not feel less valuable than their managers.

Group power

Follett made the case that leaders should value group power over personal power. Her theory suggests that true leaders create power for the group rather than keeping it for themselves. After all, organizations do not exist for one person’s benefit but rather for the entire company and customers. If this selfless mindset prevails, everyone involved will feel like they’re on the same team rather than in competition. 

“Power shared among many is more sustainable and impactful than power hoarded by one person,” Paese said.

>> Learn more: The influence of leadership styles

A lack of competition between leaders and workers also fosters a sense of safety and can spark increased productivity. Group power enables members of an organization to share the excitement of triumphs and the responsibility of failure.

Follett’s principle of group power persists widely today in management as a tool for driving a more inclusive, engaged and motivated workforce.

Alternatives to Follett’s management theory

While Follett remains an influential figure in management theory, she is not the only authority that contemporary managers draw on when looking into the best way to organize workplaces. Here are five other popular management theories for your business to explore.

Mayo management theory explained

George Elton Mayo, also known as the “father of HR,” was an Australian professor of industrial relations in the 1920s. Mayo created a human relations management theory, based on the Hawthorne experiments, centered on the idea that social and relational factors are key ingredients in employee motivation and productivity. Similar to Follett’s management theory, Mayo’s theory emphasizes that social elements, such as transparent communication and collaboration, drive employee performance.

>> Learn more: The Management Theory of Elton Mayo

Weber management theory explained

Nineteenth- and 20th-century German sociologist Max Weber believed that a highly organized government bureaucracy should be the go-to model for business management. According to Weber, in an ideal bureaucracy, all employees are treated equally and judged only by their skills and expertise. Weber believed that by distributing tasks and responsibilities in a highly regimented manner according to the talent and training of employees, businesses could guarantee both efficiency and profits.

>> Learn more: The Management Theory of Max Weber

Mintzberg management theory explained

Henry Mintzberg, an author on management best practices and a professor of management studies at McGill University in Canada, differs by prioritizing the personal experience and aptitude of employees. He argues that hierarchy and structure in the workplace should change often according to the shifting needs of the organization, as well as the skills, talents and predispositions of workers. Mintzberg advocates for a management practice that simplifies and delegates tasks as much as possible, which allows individual employees to grow, develop and take on responsibilities as needed.

>> Learn more: The Management Theory of Henry Mintzberg

Kanter management theory explained

Harvard professor Rosabeth Moss Kanter advocates for change management — the process of encouraging positive change in the organization and its stakeholders. There are six key steps in Kanter’s change management theory of organization: show up, speak up, look up, team up, never give up and lift others up. Kanter argues that by continuously working toward a workplace environment that is transparent, collaborative and committed to growth, organizations can bring about positive changes in employees’ mindsets and behavior, thereby fostering loyalty, enthusiasm, growth and success. 

>> Learn more: The Management Theory of Rosabeth Moss Kanter

Taylor management theory explained

The management theory of mechanical engineer Frederick Taylor  — sometimes called classical management theory or scientific management theory — emphasizes both the efficiency of processes and the positive reinforcement of employee success. Taylor’s arguments are based on four basic principles: 

1. Each aspect of work should have a science to it. 
2. Employers should use a scientific approach to select, train and develop their employees.
3. Employees and employers must collaborate to achieve the best results.
4. Employers should divide responsibilities among their team, trust employees to carry out their tasks, and provide the appropriate training and support.

Taylor’s writing and attitude toward workforce management are often compared to the more authoritarian approach preferred by proponents of Weber’s management theory, with Taylor being credited as moving management practice in a more democratic and collaborative direction.

>> Learn more: The Management Theory of Frederick Taylor

Sammi Caramela contributed to this article.