Marilyn--
I'm certainly not an authority on Follett (just an admirer), but I think
if you read her essays or books, you'd find that she advocated a systemic
approach to organizational relationships, including the use of power,
(using words like integrating). I doubt you would find much discrepancy
between her thinking and that of Bateson's (though they were separated by
several decades).
Follett seemed to be arguing against the linear, hierarchical concept of
power that was then in vogue in the already burgeoning bureaucracies of
the late 19th century and early 20th century. She used terms like
"circular response" to describe how people influence one another. It's
quite easy to glimpse her belief in connectivity.
Bateson is also an authority in the family counseling and mental health
field. His work in this area (as well as those you mentioned), along with
Satir's, has greatly benefitted the OD community. I think it's time we
add Follett to their names as important resources for organizational
learning.
I'm sorry to say that I'm not familiar with Bateson's thinking on
power--we do know that within the context of his time, though, the
economic, political and social abuses that were related to the concept of
power.
regards,
Doc Holloway
MJDarling@aol.com wrote:
> I've not read Follet. I'd be interested in hearing from Doc and Dale (or
> anyone else!) about their reading of Follet -- does her view of power seem
> to represent a systemic perspective? Also, I'd be very interested in
> hearing from anyone who has been exposed to Bateson's thinking about the
> value of power as a metaphor.
-- Sitting quietly doing nothing spring comes and the grass grows by itself. -Zen PoemThresholds--developing critical skills for living organizations Richard C. "Doc" Holloway Olympia, WA ICQ# 10849650 Please visit our new website, still at <http://www.thresholds.com/> <mailto:learnshops@thresholds.com>
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