Participative Management and Power-With
- Theory / Concept Name
- Participative Management and Power-With
- Description
Mary Parker Follett — Participative Management
Mary Parker Follett (1868–1933) was a pioneer of modern management philosophy, decades ahead of her time.
Power-With vs Power-Over
- Power-over: Coercive, hierarchical power where one party dominates.
- Power-with: Co-active power generated through collaboration — Follett's preferred model.
Key Ideas
- Constructive conflict: Disagreements should be integrated (find a solution that satisfies both sides), not dominated or compromised.
- The Law of the Situation: Authority should come from the requirements of the situation, not from a formal position.
- Circular response: All parties in an interaction constantly influence each other; causality is circular, not linear.
- Integration: The highest form of conflict resolution — both parties' desires are incorporated into a new solution.
Significance
Follett's ideas directly anticipate participative management, servant leadership, and modern conflict-resolution theory.
- Theorist / Pioneer
- Mary Parker Follett
- Year
- 1924
- Category
- Neo-Classical