Follett Talks
Follett Talks are Zoom-based meetings featuring a guest speaker presentation, a Q&A opportunity, and an open discussion time. They are typically scheduled for Saturday (US time) and will be open to anyone to join. Talks with usually be recorded as well, and recordings will be available on this site. Unless otherwise indicated, all Talks will be from 11 AM-1 PM EST / 4 PM-6 PM GMT.
Upcoming Talks
If you’re interested in joining an upcoming Follett Talk, or if you would like to propose a Talk, please contact info@follettfdn.org for the invitation and link.
January 24, 2026: The Power of Words – Mary Follett’s Words & Principles. Presenter: Elisabeth Sechser. This Follett Talk focuses on Mary Parker Follett’s understanding of the power of word, particularly her use of key concepts such as power, control, authority, leadership, and management. Follett did not describe democratic principles in abstract terms — she built them directly into language. Through the meanings she gave to key words, democracy was clearly different from domination-based and anti-democratic management theories. Like the cybernetician and philosopher Heinz von Foerster observed:
“People always thought that if you have the word for something, then you have the principle behind it.”
Language does not merely describe the world — it constructs it. This is where Follett’s thinking shows its strength: her careful use of language made democratic organization, power-with, and co-creative leadership real in practice. In this Follett Talks session, Elisabeth will:
- highlight some central concepts in Follett’s work,
- contrast them with some dominance-oriented management approaches, and
- discuss examples of organizations where these principles are alive in practice.
Elisabeth Sechser is an organizational development consultant and a specialist in Follettian management. She supports organizations in moving beyond outdated management theories and in building democratic, value-creating, team-based companies inspired by Mary Parker Follett. Elisabeth lives and works in Vienna, Austria. www.sichtart.at
Past Follett Talks and Recordings
November 8, 2025: Democracy is a Verb, not a Noun. Matthew Shapiro, founding director, the Mary Parker Follett Foundation. The presentation includes a review of Follett’s essential insights for the promise of democracy and a description of the mission and program of the Mary Parker Follett Foundation. The presentation is available here. Full recording and passcode below:
Passcode: UxTcDS5&
November 22: Erika Clegg presented on Power With, not Power Over. The presentation shows how how Follett’s ideas find fresh life in modern organizations, building trust, resilience, and performance. Full recording and passcode below:
Passcode: 7k4Sw!7J
December 6: Jim Rough presented on the Wise Democracy Project. The presentation proposes that Wisdom Councils and the Wise Democracy project could help bring to realization Follett’s vision for democracy. Full recording and passcode below:
Passcode: v@aTN36#
January 10: Matthew Shapiro presented on Learning to Create Together: A Participatory Approach to Designing the Civics Education We Need. Learning to Create Together is about engaging communities in the participatory design of civics for their schools, resulting in a civics education experience that transcends the static and in direct civics learning for the community that undertakes the design journey. The presentation is available here.
The Mary Parker Follett Conversation on Creative Democracy (Fall 2026)
See the Conference page for more information.