Post-Fordism
Post-Fordism refers to the economic system that replaced the Fordism in the western industrialized nations. Originally, the term goes back to the engineer Taiichi Ohno Japanese, the inventor of the new production model at Toyota, which was first designated according to Henry Ford's model as " Toyotism ".
Features
In contrast to the Fordist model, the post-Fordism is characterized by a high degree of flexibility in the areas of work organization, working groups and task integration. Through a project funded say skilled labor ( intellectual resources) and teamwork may also production be improved. Sustainability and adapt to the market is ensured by an increase in investment in research and production in small series, which also attracts a strong product differentiation by itself. An additional increase in flexibility allows the use of multi-purpose machines and in addition a small held vertical integration (ie, the proportion of self-designed and produced in the operating components is reduced ). In addition, storage costs can be saved by a functioning Just- in -time delivery.
Other features are the De - hierarchization and de-bureaucratization of the administration in the operation itself In addition the elimination of all public safety systems and a consequent privatization of security. Generally obtained an individualization of all areas of life organization and to create the basis of the increasing " private land acquisition ."
Last but not least is placed on the use of the advantages of other countries or companies value (eg through outsourcing or economies of scope).
History
History sparked the post-Fordism in the 1970s from Fordism, which had established itself as the dominant economic system of capitalism. As a reason for the transfer, it is assumed that Fordism would not have been able to exploit its spare capacity as he was no longer able by his enforcement in the Triad ( North America, Western Europe, Japan), the hegemony of the United States permanently secure, which is considered as the driving force of Western capitalism.
Under the sign of the assurance of the supremacy of the Triad to further increase the accumulation only by an increase in mass production on the model of Ford on the basis of standardized wage labor and the exploitation of natural resources was no longer possible. On the crisis of over-accumulation in the 1980s, the neo-liberal restructuring, and globalization, which led to a more dynamic global economic trade followed. In this context, more and more structures designated as inefficient government social security systems were dismantled and replaced by applicable as efficient private sector. As a result, a separation between production sphere and privacy was no longer possible, after which the trend followed the " inner land grab " as well as to increase the rate of exploitation ( wage reduction, rationalization, intensification of work ). At the same time ensured the abolition of the state security systems as well as the deregulation of the Trade ( International Trade Finance ), from an economic standpoint for a rationalization, which secured the global economic prosperity. The exploitation of natural resources was an important basis of Fordism. Once it became increasingly clear how limited natural resources such as land, energy (oil, coal) and forests are a limitless supply is no longer possible ( The Limits to Growth ) by a further exploitation.
In post-Fordism a valorisation of natural resources takes place through the transfer into private property rights. (Gene patents, biopiracy ). The security of intellectual property in natural resources is becoming increasingly important, the more expensive the extraction of natural resources is real. The situation is similar with the knowledge and intellectual property. In Fordism by embossing the Taylorist production knowledge was built into the machine and it was the workers 'only' served ( Classical assembly line work, follow the manufactory, resolution of the craft ). The machine was the object of investment, which mechanically knowledge was inscribed to the production.
In modern production processes and the continuing rapid changes in product cycles, the value of the knowledge to produce the means of production are increasingly of greater value than the physical means of production itself ( knowledge society ). Thus, the ownership of the knowledge of growing importance and is by Jeremy Rifkin (Access, The Disappearance of property) represents a key element of the new accumulation and mode of regulation
To regulate the steady expansion of patent law to new areas of intellectual production and the aspirations, the ownership of media products and their reproduction, can be understood as a result of this increasing importance of intellectual property. From this derives as from the increasing incorporation of workers in the production and value creation process. The worker is being taken more ( under autonomous working ) total to complete. So with both his manual skills ( in the framework of the classical production ) as well as with its physical and mental abilities ( creativity, innovation and ability to cooperate ).
The neo-Marxist theorists of workerism interpret the transition from Fordism to post-Fordism as a reaction of the capital to the massive labor struggles of 1973-1974. The strikes of the workers for better working and living conditions were so massive and solidarity that capital in addition to a number of concessions Ground surrounded the production in order to not respond to all claims must. In Fordism workers had little qualification needed and worked with many of their colleagues in large groups, which strengthened solidarity among themselves and simplified strikes. The division into smaller teams, the division of labor through the greater voice of Qualifying Teren so complicated the previous forms of industrial action immensely. A reaction of the workers it was again to shift the fighting out of the factory to other fields: women's movement, squatting, ecology, local movement, criticism of consumerism, etc.