Factors that influenced Follett

[Chen Wenquan]

Hi, anyone knows what are the various factors at Follett's time that influenced her and her theories? Like economic, social and stuff Thanks.

[Matthew Shapiro]

I'm sure that by asking that question here, you want some specific examples rather than just a suggestion of some of the books that might be helpful. So...as a start, there was the massive immigration of the late 1800's and early 1900's that led to the settlement houses that she worked with in the early 1900's; the rise of urban issues as a distinct social phenomenon; the first World War; industrialization, unionization, and bureaucratization creating the need for new ideas about organizations and management; women's suffrage; colonialism; and I'm sure more I haven't mentioned. Of course, that entire time period was part of an explosion in new technologies and the beginnings of globalization, along with new sciences such as psychology, sociology, and anthropology. All of these contributed to the context in which Follett lived and worked.

[Albie M. Davis]

Hello Chen Wenquan,

For some fun, you might try going to Google books, enter The New State Follett and gain free access to The New State. On the left (at least on my Macintosh computer) there is a window where you can enter "James." I did this for William James, an American philosopher who taught at Harvard during what was known as "The Golden Age," since many influential academics where at Harvard while Follett was at Radcliffe. William James, Joshia Royce, George Santayana, for example. Twelve cites for James came up. In America we think of him as a "pragmatist," and I view many of Follett's concepts in that light. She so often suggests that we try things and see what happens rather than talk endlessly. She seemed to have a preference for action, in particular for people working together to learn lessons greater than what they thought to be their original purpose.

One of our network members, Suzanne Stigler Martin, did some of her PhD research using software to analyze Follett's works for various themes. Some time ago, she and I spent an hour on SKYPE talking about her research which seemed both fascinating and sophisticated to me. The software she used could be tailored to the needs of the researcher. With the type of software she used, one could search for both individuals and concepts and frequencies. Perhaps you could contact her about the software if you are interested.

I am going to try one more search on the free Google Books New State for H. G. Wells and see if anything comes up.

Two "wells up" as in water rising, and one for H. G. Wells on page 369, "One can lie awake nights and hear him grow." Eleven entries for Roscoe Pound, an American Jurist (lawyer) who was also Dean of Harvard Law School; Three for Louis Brandies, who lived across the street from her in Boston and became a Supreme Court Justice.

Over time, I've made up my own indexes, and I see one person with 6 entries and I really don't know who he is. Ramiro de Maeztu. He apparently wrote a book on Authority, Liberty and Function

One could also try to check concepts. For example, 19 results for integration, 2 for integrate, 1 for integrate and 5 for integrating.

So, you might add to the impact Matthew Shapiro provided, that she lived and worked in Boston during the period of tumultuous immigration plus the other emerging social trends, the fact that she studied at Harvard during a special period of time. (During it's early years, all classes at Radcliffe were taught by Harvard professors.)

Personally, I believe that Johann Gottlieb Fichte was a big influence upon her thinkng. He was a German philosopher, whose philosophy was probably introduced to Follett by her early grade and high school teacher, Anna Boynton Thompson, who later became a personal friend and classmate at Radcliffe. Thompson's manuscript on Fichte can also be accessed for free on Google.

On the second page of this forum there is an entry: Follett and Fichte! Does anyone understand Fichte? There are 27 entries on that topic.

I would be remiss if I didn't say that she went to school with and worked with may amazing women of her day. Ella Lyman Cabot, an educator, member of the Massachusetts State Board of Education and author of various books on ethics, was among her best and closest friends. John Kaag, a network member, has posted an excellent article he wrote about both Follett and Cabot titled "Women and Forgotten Movements in American Philosophy: the Work of Ella Lyman Cabot and Mary Parker Follett." I believe you could download it by going to the membership list, finding John Kaag, professor of philosophy, on the third page and opening his page. There should be a heading: Article on Cabot and Follett.

Happy searching. Perhaps the search window at the upper right of the network might be the fastest way to find many of the items I've mentioned.

Albie Davis