Reworking Postfordism: Labor Process Versus Employment Relations

Abstract

The Fordism/postfordism framework has been widely used, but also heavily criticized, in the social sciences. I outline the central points of debate over the use of this framework for analysis of work organization, including the range of models offered as successors to Fordism. I then suggest that, while some criticisms of the concept of postfordism have highlighted important problems and issues, the Fordist/postfordist framework can be elaborated as an analytically coherent, theoretically illuminating approach to the historical, institutional, and comparative analysis of work and employment. Although researchers appear to be using the concept of postfordism increasingly less frequently over the last decade, I argue that it provides a unifying framework within which to analyze work and employment relations in the current phase of capitalism, which is characterized by an apparent variety of new organizational forms within a broader context of increasing disconnectedness of economic institutions. Lean production has become established as the predominant postfordist labor process, widespread in manufacturing but also increasingly being implemented in services. However, this must be distinguished from a broader set of changes in employment relations.

Organizational Learning: Bringing the Forces of Production Back In

“…In contemporary industry, the far more relevant counter-tendencies are those associated with neo-Taylorism and externalized employment relations (Thompson, 2003;Vidal, 2011). These tendencies limit the actualization of 1*-4*, but they do not provide much support for 1-4.…”

“…As shown by labour process theorists, capitalist rationalization sometimes leads to the degradation of work as competition induces employers to rely on low-skill, low-wage employment strategies (Braverman, 1974;Knights & Willmott, 1990). Financialized capitalism generates renewed pressure for wage-based competition and recommodification of labour through externalized employment relations (Thompson, 2003;Vidal, 2011). Simultaneously, companies have sought to intensify work through new strategies of hegemonic or normative control (Barker, 1993;Barley & Kunda, 1992;Knights & McCabe, 2000;Vallas, 2003a), in which work is intensified independent of technological advances.…”

“…This is because capitalism as a mode of production generates tendencies which make Propositions 1-4 increasingly implausible. Insofar as capitalist rationalization also penetrates the service economy (Suárez-Barraza, Smith, & Dahlgaard-Park, 2012;Vidal, 2011), CoP theory will also be of limited relevance here. To account for organizational learning in modern capitalist organizations, I offer an alternative theoretical model based on Adler's 'structural' reading of Marx (Adler, 2007).…”

Parâmetros para avaliação de células de manufatura que utilizam a filosofia lean: uma revisão da literatura

“…O grupo de colaboradores que atua na célula desenvolve CCQs de forma totalmente voluntária (BLAGA;JOZSEF, 2014;HASLE et al, 2012;HELOANI, 2012;ISHIKAWA, 1993;MONDEN, 2015) São constantemente realizadas melhorias na célula em função dos princípios do 5S e desperdícios segundo a filosofia lean (CHAUHAN, 2012;LIKER, 2005;RODRÍGUEZ et al, 2016;SHINGO, 1996;JONES, 1998) Os projetos de melhoria contínua desenvolvidos na célula procuram envolver de forma sinérgica processos clientes e processos fornecedores (ALONY;JONES, 2008;CONTI et al, 2006;HASLE, 2014;HASLE et al, 2012;BLACK, 2007;JADHAV;MANTHA;RANE, 2014;JURAN, 2009;LI;FOUND, 2016;PAMPANELLI;BERNARDES, 2014;RIBEIRO, 2011;ARMSTRONG;LIKER, 2009) A célula de produção é constantemente avaliada em relação à sustentabilidade ambiental (ABNT, 2015;EPA, 2007;PAMPANELLI;BERNARDES, 2014) Todos os postos de trabalho da célula apresentam à disposição dos funcionários procedimentos padrões atualizados para serem utilizados em caso de dúvidas (HASLE, 2014;HASLE et al, 2012;BLACK, 2007;LIKER, 2005 Outras vantagens dele são a menor necessidade de inspeção dos produtos, devido à inspeção que ocorre durante a produção, e o aumento na qualidade da produção (AGHAZADEH et al, 2011;…”

Building the Professional Identity of Research Assistants: A Phenomenological Research

“…Post-Fordism, which came into effect in the last quarter of the 20th century, has made its presence felt in every field and has brought along both social and economicpolitical transformations (Demirel & Yegen, 2015;Glyn, 1990;Memduhoğlu, 2007;Vidal, 2011). With these transformations, which were also reflected in the social sciences, new arguments have been developed in relation to race, ethnicity, culture, rights, and identity.…”