Reaction writing #1

Module Reaction Writing INTRODUCTION Mary Parker Follet, who was born in 1868, was an American management expert who pioneered new ideas in various aspects of workplace management. She came up with new theories concerning organizational behavior, and management practices. She was critical of the style of over management that was represented in organizational theories such as Fredrick Taylor’s ‘ Scientific Management’, and instead suggested that what was more important was to boost the different kinds of interactions between the senior management and its workforce.
Theory. She is recognized as one of the principal contributors to workplace management’s behaviorism movement due to the fact that she presented employees as being much more than mere cogs, or even machines that functioned in the work environment. In her understanding of human relations, Mary Parker Follet sought to propose the importance of creating ‘ win-win’ situations that would consolidate the unique abilities of each member of the workforce for the good of the company (Follet, 81).
Application in a Modern Workplace Setting. One of Mary Parker Follet’s most revolutionary ideas was in the subject of conflict resolution in the workplace. She supported the notion of reframing an issue in such a way that the result would take into consideration the needs of all principles involved (Follet 83). There could be a situation, in an organization today, where an employee feels that she deserved a promotion that was given to another colleague. The supervisor, instead of giving her a dressing down, will invite her to express her feelings as he practices ‘ active listening’. This is an acknowledgement, on his part, of the emotions she is experiencing, and draws attention to the subject of concern and not conflicts between any of the people involved. The supervisor may then encourage the worker to give suggestions about what would be the best benchmark to use in considering workers for promotions. These methods diffuse a potentially explosive situation, while considering the interests of both the distressed worker and objectives of the company in question.
Work Cited
Follet, Mary Parker. Creative Experience. New York: Martino Fine Books, 2013. Print.