Historical Management LeadersFollett and Maslow

The theories and practices of management as we know it today did not just happen overnight. They are the products of the life work of various individuals in history. Here I will summarize two who are of interest to me-Mary Parker Follett and Abraham Maslow.
Born in 1868 in Quincy, Massachusetts to a wealthy Quaker family, Mary Parker Follett's perspectives on such modern areas as Systems Thinking, Vision-Driven Leadership, Empowerment, Management Coaching, Team/Network Structures, Diversity Integration, Constructive Conflict Resolution, TQM/CQI and Cross-Functional Teams were revolutionary and before their time. One of the first to advocate a modern Organizational Development approach, Ms. Follett’s concepts of the universal goal, the universal principle, and the Law of the Situation were all but forgotten after her death in 1933. In recent years, however, Mary Parker Follett's ideas are being seriously analyzed by today’s managers and organizations.
After receiving educat...