Post+Fordism

Key Points

 * occured in the 1990's
 * signaled a break with evidence in global connectivity and more intense competition
 * theory of free market and customization of products and services
 * replacement of class with more individua lifestyle choices and involvment in social issues
 * reaction against Fordism
 * see Fordism

Post Fordism
Post-fordism is the industrialized form of manufacture which came into being in the 1970's in replace of Henry Fords theory on fordism. Post-fordism is characterized by things that were fairly new to civilization such as the emergence of new technologies. There was a lean toward customer interests and an emphasis on products being tailored in accordance to customer taste. The rise of the service sector and the surfacing of feminization in the labor force are significant elements of Post-Fordism.

Post-fordism can be seen in a broader view to describe today’s world and new contemporary social process. Because of its influence on society, there are different theories that have evolved in relation to Post-fordism. The theory can be further broken down into “three schools of thought: Flexible Specialization, Neo-schumpeterianism, and the Regulation of School"(wikipedia).

Post Fordism is characterized by the following attributes:

 * 1) New information technologies
 * 2) Emphasis on types of comsumers in contrast to previous emphasis on social class
 * 3) The rise of the service and the white-collar worker
 * 4) The feminization of the work force
 * 5) The globalization of financial market
 * 6) Increase in specialization of products
 * 7) Increase in narrowcasting
 * 8) The de-massification of products.

**Flexible Specialization**
Flexible specialization is the approach that demonstrated significant changes leaving post post-industrial society into the industrial society in the early 1970’s which required firms to switch from mass production to a new way of doing things known as Flexible Specialization. Flexile Specialization came into effect when issues such as the oil shock of 1973 toke place, which than put pressure on many firms because competition in foreign markets were starting to take over.

This approach focuses on diversity of products that are directed at different types of people and satisfying the many different tastes that are out there. This is quite similar to the notion of de-massification. During this transition there was a need for new machines that were more flexible and more creative thought was essential to respond quickly to the needs of supply and demand. Just-in-time production Just-in-Time Production is an example of a flexible way of maintaining this new specialized way of production.

Mass production is associated with the assembly line and the focus on one product as a whole, this changed into separate firms specializing on their own areas of expertise targeted at a specific part of the product. This theory of specialization can be seen in places like Silicon Valley.
 * Neo-schumpeterianism**

Neo-schumpeterianism is basically the belief that Post-fordism is the techno-economic paradigm of the fifth resulting in the development and domination of Information and Communication technology (ICT) (wikipedia).

**Regulation** **School**
This approach was intended to direct issues towards the contradiction of capitalism and the way in which it could create instability and catastrophe but also stabilize societies. “This theory is further broken down into Regimes of Accumulation which refers to production and consumption i.e. Fordism and Post Fordism and also Modes of Regulation which were laws of society which control the Regime of Accumulation” (wikipedia). According to this theory in every Regime of Accumulation there happens to be a crisis point in which the Mode Of Regulation no longer has the strength to support it and society will have no choice but to find new ways of doing things eventually forming a new Mode of Regulation (wikipedia). Which than inevitably forms into a Regime of Accumulation that would further hit a crisis point of no escaping.