The productive system that, since the end of the 20th century , has been characteristic of most industrialized countries is called post-Fordism . Flexible specialization , the use of so-called new information technologies and small-scale production are among its main features.
Post-Fordism is the result of the historical development of production systems. At the end of the 19th century, Taylorism emerged, based on the scientific or rational organization of work based on the division of tasks. Shortly before the First World War , Fordism and its mass or chain production broke out through the assembly line.
Post-Fordism, in this framework, is the method that replaced Fordism. While in Fordism the worker repeated the same task in the place he occupied on the production line, post-Fordism abandoned that vision , leaving aside mass and structured production.
In post-Fordism, the organizational logic contemplates networks of small businesses that allow the production chain to be organized. This makes it possible to adapt quickly to market changes, unlike what happens in a large company with a vertical structure.
The outsourcing provided by large corporations and technology mean that small and medium-sized companies ( SMEs ) can join the global economy. Thus, post-Fordism favors the participation of multiple actors in the market.
It is important to note that, with post-Fordism, companies do not focus on mass producing a single product. On the contrary, they aim to develop different products aimed at different types of consumers and seek to be able to adapt quickly to changes. Flexibility is the pillar of this production system that contributed to the rise of the service sector.
In the same way, we cannot ignore that post-Fordism is identified because it encourages the creation of new industries, such as petrochemicals , computing or chemistry, among others. Not to mention that it favors the existence of social benefits through private companies.
Likewise, we should not forget the fact that this production system favors the emergence of marketing and even brings with it a considerable increase in consumption itself.
Although there are those who vehemently defend post-Fordism, we cannot ignore that there are also those who strongly criticize it. Specifically, they attack him for reasons such as the following:
-There are those who consider that it is simply the result of so-called capitalist self-regulation.
-In the same way, it is established that in this system the relations between employers and workers are more precarious.
-Likewise, they indicate that in post-Fordism there is a lot of emphasis on temporary contracts and that employees enjoy fewer social benefits. And the fact that technology is widely used means that it is necessary to have fewer workers. This is a characteristic that, in turn, brings with it a higher unemployment rate.
In addition to everything indicated, we cannot ignore that there are different theories that analyze post-Fordism in depth. We are referring to the so-called neo-Schumpeterianism, flexible production and regulationism.