Premium Essay

Fordism and Tqm

In: Business and Management

Submitted By durwestony
Words 503
Pages 3
Customer relationship management
1. Fordism and Post Fordism

In the early twentieth century production of goods moved from small scale, craft production to mass production. Increased technology and mechanisation meant that goods could be produced on a large scale. The most well-known organisation that introduced this new type of mass production was the Ford Motor Company. Fordism involved the introduction of the assembly line which increased mechanisation of the labour process and control over the pace and intensity of work. It was marked by inflexibility in a process that was overseen by a bureaucratic and hierarchical managerial system. A semi-skilled labour force was employed for highly specialized and repetitive tasks. Ford’s assembly line process spread to other industry as well. Fordism forwarded the idea of centralized control, standardization and the ability to foster and meet the needs of mass consumption of goods and services.
Post-Fordism refers to the age of technological advancements post World War II that transformed the mechanics of production. Post-Fordism also saw a streamlining of the management system to give greater flexibility, smaller work forces and specialist sections within the same company. Fordism was wholly focused on mass consumption: building an entire car to be bought by millions. Post-Fordism was concerned with consumer choice and the segmentation of the marketplace. There was a higher emphasis on personal consumer tastes and individuality. Instead of producing generic goods, firms now found it more profitable to produce diverse product lines targeted at different groups of consumers, appealing to their sense of taste and fashion. Instead of investing huge amounts of money on the mass production of a single product, firms now needed to build intelligent systems of labour and machines that were flexible and could quickly respond

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Scientific Management

...efficiencies and more productivity of the workforce as the application of scientific management theories meant that production processes were standardized and the principle of division of labour was applied leading to mass production of goods (Taylor, 2011, 80). An interesting aspect of the scientific management approach pioneered by Taylor is his emphasis on increasing efficiency from the “bottom up” where he concentrated on the shop floor to maximize productivity. When contrasted with the theories by Henri Fayol and Max Weber who favoured a top down approach, we find that Taylor’s approach is better suited to the rigours of modern day manufacturing and even service sector companies (Davis, 1975, 38). Taylor’s Influence: Fordism, Neo-Fordism Fordism developed as an offshoot of scientific management and was pioneered by the legendary founder of Ford Motors, Henry Ford. In this approach, standardization and mass production of automobiles was pioneered and when this approach was adopted, the small batch production was ceased. By...

Words: 2545 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Miss

...rather than technology and ‘scientific and politically neutral management’ * Recently there has been a resurgence in the interest in job quality, due to changes in the nature of jobs and fragmentation of the labour market * Some changes in the labour market that have occurred due to this interest in job quality includes; * Expansion of jobs * Dissolution of boundaries * Chris Warhurst argues that it is not possible to form a universally accepted list of job quality indicators * Employee capability is a key consideration in the design of work, as job design can exclude capability of develop it 1. What is the ‘mechanistic’ approach to work design? In your answer refer to Taylorism, scientific management and Fordism. * Humans produce what their means of subsistence by specialising and trading with each other and through the use of technology. This production is aimed to be done so in the most efficient and productive manner due to the economic system of capitalism (producers compete for customers and market share, thus must produce efficiently to beat their competitors). * When producing a large amount of output, production would be organised very differently to production on a small scale – it is...

Words: 1742 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Ford

...organisation just by looking around and talking to the people who work for it. For example, some organisations are very dynamic and their people are encouraged to take risks. Others are backward looking and rarely take risks. The culture of the organisation provides the meaning, direction and clarity (the human glue) that drives the business to achieve its goals. From time to time it becomes necessary to change the culture of an organisation to make sure that it fits the environment in which the organisation operates. Changes in the car industry The car industry has changed dramatically. At the start of the twentieth century, the industry was dominated by the achievements of Henry Ford who created a manufacturing system that was known as Fordism. In Fordist organisations, the manufacturing system was geared towards creating standardised products such as the Model T Ford The needs of the production line determined the life of the production line worker. Workers knew exactly what was expected of them and were given set periods of time to carry out particular operations. This system was very successful, lowered production costs and brought the motor car within the budget of the ordinary family in the west. However, during the 1980s the car industry was...

Words: 1701 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

5 Performence Objective of Toyota

...Operation Management Assignment Declaration of Plagiarism Table of contents:||||| 1.0| Introduction||||| 2.0| Operations Management||||| 3.0| Toyota Production System (TPS c ) |||| | 4.0| Just in Time Inventory Management||||| 5.0| Lean Manufacturing||||| 6.0| Supply Chain Management||||| 7.0| Conclusion||||| References||||| 1.0 Introduction The success of Toyota Motor Company is due to the unique reduction systems that focus on continuous improvement and just in time management. Toyota has created a decentralised structure that encourages employee participation and team working. Toyota incorporated concepts just as supply chain management and inventory management to create high quality automobiles and gain a competitive edge in the highly competitive global automobile market. Toyota’s success and its lean manufacturing philosophy have been widely studied. The Toyota manufacturing system is centred on achieving a high level of productivity. The company has a unique approach to problem solving and it continuously trains its employees. The Toyota Production Systems is based on the lean manufacturing philosophy that seeks to minimize wastages and centres on cost reduction. The Toyota manufacturing philosophy emphasises on quality management through a process of continuous improvement. This report looks at how Toyota created its manufacturing system and the role of operation management techniques...

Words: 2621 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Taylorism: Essay

..."merely the elements or details of the mechanisms of management" Task allocation is the concept that breaking task into smaller and smaller tasks allows the determination of the optimum solution to the task. "The man in the planning room, whose specialty is planning ahead, invariably finds that the work can be done more economically by subdivision of the labour; each act of each mechanic, for example, should be preceded by various preparatory acts done by other men." devised a means of detailing a division of labor in time-and-motion studies and a wage system based on performance. http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/Anthro/Anth101/taylorism_and_fordism.htm Frederick Winslow Taylor is a controversial figure in management history. His innovations in industrial engineering, particularly in time and motion studies, paid off in dramatic improvements in productivity. At the same time, he has been credited with destroying the soul of work, of dehumanizing factories, making men into automatons. What is Taylor's real legacy? I'm not sure that management historians will ever agree. extensions of the four principles of management.[2] 1. The development of a true science 2. The scientific selection of the workman 3. The scientific education and development of the workman 4. Intimate and friendly cooperation between the management and the men. Taylor taught that there was one and only one method of work that maximized efficiency. "And this one best method and best implementation...

Words: 4387 - Pages: 18

Premium Essay

Scientific Management

...Scientific Management - Scientific Management This essay will critically evaluate the scientific management’s importance and its contribution in the current management context. In this era of rapid economic development and industrial expansion of different nations, scientific management has enabled every nation to be involved in this global market. Scientific management is the theory which serves as the ‘backbone’ to many current management theories. Scientific management will be briefly described initially. After that, the essay will identify why scientific management is an important contribution to management theory when Frederick Taylor proposed it.... [tags: Business Employee Management] 1639 words (4.7 pages) $19.95 [preview] Scientific Management - Scientific Management Fredrick Taylor, the father of scientific management. He had a firm belief in "one best way" (Samson & Daft, 2003), of doing something. In the year 1899, Taylor held an experiment that involved German and Hungarian men, whose job involved some very heavy-duty work (Gabor, 2000). To his disappointment, men either refused to work, or wouldn't work to his expectations. The men hated him utterly; to the extent he required security when going home (Gabor, 2000). In his entire dilemma with his employers, in stepped Schmidt, a man not of intelligence but had the strength of a bull and an ox-like mentally required to reach the standards of Fredrick Taylor.... [tags: Taylorism Business Management Essays] ...

Words: 8474 - Pages: 34

Premium Essay

Mechanistic and Bureaucratic Organisations Will Probably Struggle to Encourage Organisational Learning. Critically Evaluate This Statement in Relation to the Mechanistic and Learning Perspectives.

...Frederick Winslow Taylor was a mechanical engineer who strived to improve industrial efficiency. He was a pioneer in the field of scientific management. The Taylor model consists of 4 components. 'Division of labour' where responsibility is shifted from worker to manager. 'One best way' where the scientific methods determine the most efficient way to operate. 'Scientific selection and training' which means the best person is selected depending on experience and qualifications. They are trained to work as efficiently as possible. Finally, 'monitor performance' where operations and performance is observed and monitored through an organisational hierarchy and through supervision. This basic concept further developed into Fordism and finally into TQM. The mechanistic approach works well when the task is clear and straightforward. A complex task may be difficult to adapt / change regularly to make it more efficient. It also works well when there is a stable environment with predictable demands from customers. It is also easier to apply the mechanistic approach to an organisation which produces the same thing over and over again with...

Words: 1956 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Ford Company Analysis

...Introduction Ford Motor Company was originally founded by Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan on June 16, 1903. Ford Motor Company has a very glamorous history. Since it was found in the early 1900’s, Ford positioned them as the reformer of the car manufacturing industry. Their mission was clearly stated in words, “began a manufacturing revolution with its mass production assembly lines”. And they rendered the corporate strategies matching with their goal in later years. “They introduced methods for large-scale manufacturing of cars and large-scale management of an industrial workforce using elaborately engineered manufacturing sequences typified by moving assembly lines. Henry Ford's methods came to be known around the world as Fordism by 1914”. (“The Ford Story”) http://www.thefordstory.com/ the combination of attractive product design with the efficiency in manufacturing brought them not just profits, but popularity and reputation. Some of their famous classic designs like Model T, 500hp GT, Mustangs, Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), Taurus and the best-selling F-series truck are still sold well. But Ford has been on the downhill since the beginning of the 21st century. Because of the crush of the bad economy and flawed management strategies, Ford suffered a lot and the previous ranking is now after Toyota and General Motor. It’s quite a burden to the CEO, Alan Mulally, who was elected as the new CEO in 2006 after Bill Ford stepped down. He readjusted the company’s strategy...

Words: 2383 - Pages: 10

Premium Essay

Mcgraw-Hill - Quality Management Demystified

...QUALITY MANAGEMENT DEMYSTIFIED Demystified Series Advanced Statistics Demystified Algebra Demystified Anatomy Demystified asp.net Demystified Astronomy Demystified Biology Demystified Business Calculus Demystified Business Statistics Demystified C++ Demystified Calculus Demystified Chemistry Demystified College Algebra Demystified Data Structures Demystified Databases Demystified Differential Equations Demystified Digital Electronics Demystified Earth Science Demystified Electricity Demystified Electronics Demystified Environmental Science Demystified Everyday Math Demystified Genetics Demystified Geometry Demystified Home Networking Demystified Investing Demystified Java Demystified JavaScript Demystified Linear Algebra Demystified Macroeconomics Demystified Math Proofs Demystified Math Word Problems Demystified Medical Terminology Demystified Meteorology Demystified Microbiology Demystified OOP Demystified Options Demystified Organic Chemistry Demystified Personal Computing Demystified Pharmacology Demystified Physics Demystified Physiology Demystified Pre-Algebra Demystified Precalculus Demystified Probability Demystified Project Management Demystified Quality Management Demystified Quantum Mechanics Demystified Relativity Demystified Robotics Demystified Six Sigma Demystified sql Demystified Statistics Demystified Trigonometry Demystified uml Demystified Visual Basic 2005 Demystified Visual C# 2005 Demystified xml Demystified QUALITY MANAGEMENT DEMYSTIFIED SID...

Words: 122414 - Pages: 490

Free Essay

Peronnel Policy Agl

...Personnel Policy Report - AGL AG - An Example from the Manufacturing Industry | |Table of Contents |Page | |1. |Introduction to AGL |2 | |2. |Hiring |3 | |3. |Education and Training |4 | |4. |Job design and Decision making |6 | |5. |Temas and ICT |8 | |7. |Performance: Evaluation and Rewards |10 | |8 |Carrer-Based Incentives |11 | |9 |Conclusion |12 | 1. Introduction The automobile industry...

Words: 4723 - Pages: 19

Premium Essay

Study Habits

.... Organization Theory Challenges and Perspectives John McAuley, Joanne Duberley and Phil Johnson . This book is, to my knowledge, the most comprehensive and reliable guide to organisational theory currently available. What is needed is a text that will give a good idea of the breadth and complexity of this important subject, and this is precisely what McAuley, Duberley and Johnson have provided. They have done some sterling service in bringing together the very diverse strands of work that today qualify as constituting the subject of organisational theory. Whilst their writing is accessible and engaging, their approach is scholarly and serious. It is so easy for students (and indeed others who should know better) to trivialize this very problematic and challenging subject. This is not the case with the present book. This is a book that deserves to achieve a wide readership. Professor Stephen Ackroyd, Lancaster University, UK This new textbook usefully situates organization theory within the scholarly debates on modernism and postmodernism, and provides an advanced introduction to the heterogeneous study of organizations, including chapters on phenomenology, critical theory and psychoanalysis. Like all good textbooks, the book is accessible, well researched and readers are encouraged to view chapters as a starting point for getting to grips with the field of organization theory. Dr Martin Brigham, Lancaster University, UK McAuley et al. provide a highly readable account...

Words: 230271 - Pages: 922

Premium Essay

Evolution of Management

...Chapter two The Evolution of Management Theory Learning Objectives 1. Describe how the need to increase organizational efficiency and effectiveness has guided the evolution of management theory. 2. Explain the principle of job specialization and division of labour, and tell why the study of person–task relationships is central to the pursuit of increased efficiency. 3. Identify the principles of administration and organization that underlie effective organizations. 4. Trace the changes that have occurred in theories about how managers should behave in order to motivate and control employees. 5. Explain the contributions of management science to the efficient use of organizational resources. 6. Explain why the study of the external environment and its impact on an organization has become a central issue in management thought. A Case in Contrast Changing Ways of Making Cars Car production has changed dramatically over the years as managers have applied different views or philosophies of management to organize and control work activities. Prior to 1900, workers worked in small groups, cooperating to hand-build cars with parts that often had to be altered and modified to fit together. This system, a type of small-batch production, was very expensive; assembling just one car took considerable time and effort; and workers could produce only a few cars in a day. To reduce costs and sell more cars, managers of early car companies needed better techniques to increase efficiency. Henry...

Words: 14749 - Pages: 59

Premium Essay

Management

...contents List of figures List of tables About the authors About the contributors Preface Authors’ acknowledgements Tour of the book HRM as I see it: video and text feature Publisher’s acknowledgements Key topics grid xviii xx xxi xxii xxv xxxiii xxxiv xxxvi xxxviii xl 1 2 2 2 3 3 3 4 5 6 8 9 9 13 16 17 18 18 20 22 22 24 25 27 30 I the arena of contemporary human resource management 1 the nature of contemporary HRM John Bratton Outline Objectives Introduction The development of HRM Keynesianism: collectivism and personnel management HRM in practice 1.1: A new role for HR professionals Neo-liberalism: individualism and HRM Management and HRM The meaning of ‘human resource’ The meaning of ‘management’ The nature of the employment relationship Scope and functions of HRM Theoretical perspectives on HRM HRM in practice 1.2: Twenty-first-century senior HR leaders have a changing role The Fombrun, Tichy and Devanna model of HRM The Harvard model of HRM The Guest model of HRM The Warwick model of HRM The Storey model of HRM HRM and globalization: The HRM model in advancing economies? Ulrich’s strategic partner model of HRM Studying HRM Critique and paradox in HRM viii contents ix Case study: Canterbury Hospital Summary, Vocab checklist for ESL students, Review questions and Further reading to improve your mark 33 34 37 37 37 38 38 39 41 44 44 45 46 48 50 52 54 55 56 56 58 60 62 65 66 69 69 69 70 70 71 72 72 73 73 74 77 78 80 81 88 92 2 corporate strategy and strategic...

Words: 37021 - Pages: 149

Premium Essay

Supply

...JIT Just in time (JIT) is a production strategy that strives to improve a business return on investment by reducing in-process inventory and associated carrying costs. Just-in-time production method is also called the Toyota Production System. To meet JIT objectives, the process relies on signals or Kanban (看板 Kanban?) between different points in the process, which tell production when to make the next part. Kanban are usually 'tickets' but can be simple visual signals, such as the presence or absence of a part on a shelf. Implemented correctly, JIT focuses on continuous improvement and can improve a manufacturing organization's return on investment, quality, and efficiency. To achieve continuous improvement key areas of focus could be flow, employee involvement and quality. Quick notice that stock depletion requires personnel to order new stock is critical to the inventory reduction at the center of JIT. This saves warehouse space and costs. However, the complete mechanism for making this work is often misunderstood. For instance, its effective application cannot be independent of other key components of a lean manufacturing system or it can "...end up with the opposite of the desired result." In recent years manufacturers have continued to try to hone forecasting methods such as applying a trailing 13 week average as a better predictor for JIT planning;  however, some research demonstrates that basing JIT on the presumption of stability is inherently flawed. ------------------------------------------------- ...

Words: 11513 - Pages: 47

Premium Essay

Budget and Others

...Mann-01.qxd 14~8~04 16:05 Page 1 Chapter 1 The strategic importance of human resource development Introduction We start this chapter by examining the reasons why human resource development has become a critical part of an organization’s competitive capabilities, and explaining why people are important in organizations. We will also discuss how human resource development has changed over time, and why it is important in the modern competitive arena. The next section explores how human resource management has been modified to reflect the step changes in markets and production requirements over time. We will describe the nature of the changes to major business eras, leading to an appreciation of how skills requirements have reflected these major changes. After explaining what is meant by strategy, the third section develops key strategic issues in human resource development. We will also investigate how human resources can play a profoundly important part in developing and implementing strategy within an organization. Next, the emergence of human resources as a strategic issue is explored in greater depth. This section explains the critical differences between many Western firms’ and Japanese approaches to human resource development. We will show that human resource development needs to be in place alongside other important human resource issues, including industrial relations, and describe how human resources can become part of the core competence of an organization...

Words: 12688 - Pages: 51