title: Mary Parker Follett: epilogue to or return of a social work management pioneer?
abstract: The authors present an overview of the major concepts and contributions of Mary Parker Follett to the development of social work management theory, past and present. The case is made for Follett to be afforded a more visible role in the profession's understanding and teaching of modern management theory and practice. The authors show how Follett's work served as an important bridge between changing eras in management thought, specifically as related to scientific management and the subsequent human relations models. Even after six decades, Follett's work, in its timelessness and timeliness, remains contemporary, for it is rooted in her keen ability to grasp the complexities inherent in the human services enterprise, and thus it continues to inform one's understanding and behavior within the organizational context.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of Texas, Austin 78712, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Selber
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Austin
mesh_terms: D003220:Conflict, Psychological; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D017008:Negotiating; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012947:Social Work / Q000266:history* / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000266:history*; D014481:United States