Ethics in management: Exploring the contribution of Mary Parker Follett

Mary Parker Follett never wrote on ethics in management nor on business ethics, both of which are now familiar. However, some implicit and even explicit references to these topics can be found in her thought. What is more, underlying her whole approach to business and management are concepts that have a lot to do with ethics. Follett holds that the manager must accept standards established by professional managerial associations. Additionally, she is aware of the contribution of business management to individual development and to the welfare and culture of society. She also presents a seminal approach to stakeholder theory. Her concept of ethics is related to her dynamic vision of the individual and society. It overcomes subjectivism and the narrow view of an individualistic ethics, but it is not an ethics rooted in ethical principles or in human virtues.