Mary P. Follett (1868-1933) brought new dimensions to the theory and practice of management and was one of America's pre-eminent thinkers about democracy and social organization. The ideas Follett developed in the early-20th century continue even today to challenge thinking about business and civic concerns. This biography of Follett illuminates the life of this intriguing woman and reveals how she developed her farsighted theories about the organization of human relations. Out of 20 years of civic work in Boston's immigrant neighbourhoods, Follett developed ideas about the group basis of democracy and the foundations of social interaction that placed her among leading progressive intellectuals. Later in her career, she delivered influential lectures on business management that form the basis of our contemporary discourse about collaborative leadership, worker empowerment, self-managed teams, conflict resolution, the value of inclusivity and diversity, and corporate social responsibility.

Joan C. Tonn is an organisational psychologist and associate professor in the College of Management at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

"For the first time we have a meticulously researched biography of Mary Follett, a brilliant and original organisational thinker. Here, in all her complexity, is the woman who established the basis for contemporary negotiation theory and feminist thinking about power." Jane Mansbridge, Harvard University