Post-Fordism can be defined as “a pattern of industrial organisation in which skilled and trusted labour is used continuously to develop and customise products for small markets.” (Watson, 1995)

This new era was based on the extensive developments in information technology and microelectronics. (Bonefeld, Holloway, 1993) Companies started using new machines that were multi purpose and it was easy and economical to switch from making one product to another. This was possible due to developments in computer-controlled programmes. This flexible technology gave rise to flexible specialisation, one of the main signs of post-Fordism. “It combines the capability of the new technology with the idea of a fundamental shift in the nature of the market in late twentieth-century industrial society.” (Kumar, 1995)

Products changed dramatically. Producers started emphasising quality over quantity. It can be said that the importance has shifted from economies of scale to economies of scope. It was the end of homogeneous markets. Design and packaging of products were very important. Companies were trying to differentiate their products. Marketing was mostly based on targeting consumers by age, taste and culture rather than by categories of social class. Product life became shorter. It was also much easier to test new products and ideas in practice because companies were able to produce small amounts. If a new product proved successful, it was easy to widen its distribution. Short-term profit was preferred to long-term one.

At the same time, organsation of labour changed. There was a re-emergence of craft work and workers had to be re-skilled. The hierarchy between employees flattened and production generally depended on all categories of workers who often worked in teams. There has also been a decentralization of managerial functions. Work was more self-regulated, workers didn’t have managers behind their backs, constantly telling them what to do. They were regaining more control over work they were doing and became more independent. This independence led to employees having to work mentally as well as physically. “In post-Fordism, the worker is designed to act as a computer as well as a machine.” (Murray, 1989)

There was a decrease in state intervention as far as market was concerned and the rise of globalisation. Suddenly, it was possible for international goods to compete with domestic products.

However, post-Fordism also has disadvantages. It had a major effect on people’s personal and family life. Post-Fordism created projects rather than jobs for life. Once the project was finished workers tended to look for a better one, often in a different area. This disturbed their links with community and created a sense of distrust. It could be said that there was a lack of stability, which is ever so important in families with young children. Additionally, in flexible specialisation the technology is constantly changing. Even people with university degrees found that at some point in their life they had to be re-trained because the pace of developments in technology was so fast. And for this reason, older workers or even the middle aged ones were disadvantaged when compared to young university graduates, as companies often preferred to have young adaptable employees. “For older workers, the prejudices against age send a powerful message: as a person’s experience accumulates, it loses value.” (Sennett, 1998)

Fordism and post-Fordism differ in many ways. For both types of work organisation technology was a powerful control tool. However, there was a difference in their sophistication and presence. Fordism seemed to be dominated by mass production and consumption, strong de-skilling of labour, repetitive simple tasks that required high concentration and workers having little control over the work they performed. In post-Fordism, the situation was very different. Workers were encouraged to be innovative and to interact with one another. Final products were customised and responded to buyers’ demands. Fordist production had control over the market whereas post-Fordism developed to respond to changing market conditions. Flexible production dramatically reduced the demand for unskilled labour. Post-Fordism requires workers to be numerate and literate and quite often to have completed higher education. Therefore it seems that for society as a whole, the post-Fordist organisation of work is a much better option in all senses- consumers get goods they want, the standard and skills of labour are much higher and work place conditions are better.