Post-fordist debate: a theoretical perspective to information technology and the firm

Abstract

This article introduces a framework of theoretical arguments, broadly labeled “post-Fordism”, with which to conceptualize the role of information technology in the firm. Broadly speaking, the term “post-Fordism” refers to the emergence of a new set of organizational, economic, technological, and social configurations to replace those of “Fordist” mass production. The theoretical arguments surrounding “post-Fordism” rest upon the relationships among these constructs. The role of information technology within the post-Fordist worldview is an important one. Post-Fordist theoretical arguments are rooted in the belief that reality is historically constituted. Thus, the study of information technology in organizational settings cannot be isolated, but must embrace critical dimensions of the organization as well as of the society, industry, and nation of which it is a part. The purpose of this article is, first, to delve into the post-Fordist conceptual foundation, and second, to explore some of the emerging technologies that are consonant with the post-Fordist paradigm. While indebted to the watershed work of Piore and Sabel, following the neo-Schumpeterian analysis, we will argue, first, that technology in fact is an integral part of the structure and culture of a firm itself, and second, that the move from Fordist to post-Fordist economy represents more than simply a change in technology. This transformation represents a shift of major significance in technological, organizational, and cultural paradigms. In this transition from the Fordist to the post-Fordist world, technology has emerged as a paradigmatic force.