QUOTATION 53

MARY PARKER FOLLETT ON WHY THERE ARE ALWAYS MORE THAN TWO CHOICES (TOP TEN ENTRY)

Use this to remind you that there is always an alternative course of action – you just haven’t thought of it yet.

Mary Parker Follet (1868–1933) was an American social worker, management consultant and pioneer of organisational theory at a time when there were very few women in the field of management studies.

We should never allow ourselves to be bullied by an either-or. There is often the possibility of something better than either of these two alternatives.

Mary Parker Follett

Among her many accomplishments, Mary Parker Follett was also a philosopher. It’s perhaps for that reason that she refused to believe that in the social world any decision could come down to just two alternatives.

WHAT TO DO

  • As a manager you are often asked to make a decision based upon two alternatives. Staff presenting the data to you do this either to make the decision easier and quicker for you or because they have a preference and they have slanted their report/presentation in that direction.
  • If the decision is cheap and easy to correct if it goes wrong, follow Townsend’s advice (see Quotation 49) and choose between the two options on offer.
  • If the decision involves a large investment in time and money, you should ask about the alternative options that were considered and rejected. It is entirely possible that, because you know more about the organisation than those reporting to you, you will see advantages in a proposal that they rejected. In addition, as you discuss the alternatives, you may identify other courses of action you could adopt, perhaps by combining elements of two or more ideas.
  • If you are responsible for submitting suggestions, by all means present the best one or two alternatives, but be prepared to outline succinctly the other courses of action that could be adopted or include a précis of them as an appendix.
  • When making a decision, avoid tramline thinking which leads you to think in terms of an either-or solution. One way to do this is to work with a small team of people. Present the problem and the information you have to them and ask them to suggest suitable approaches. Then withdraw and leave them to it. What you are looking for are fresh ideas and perspectives, so don’t share with them your preferred option until after they have reported their findings.

QUESTIONS TO ASK

  • How wide do I spread my net when thinking about alternative approaches to a problem?
  • Do I generally only see one or two possible answers and then plough ahead evaluating those to the exclusion of other possibilities?
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