Fordism
Assembly line philosophy
Fordism is an industrial production system based on assembly lines, standardized parts, and mass manufacture—named for Henry Ford, who pioneered these methods in automobile factories.
The term extends to the broader economic model built around mass production matched with mass consumption, where workers earn enough to buy what they make.
In academic and political contexts, Fordism often refers to the post-World War II economic order of stable manufacturing jobs and rising wages, now often contrasted with post-Fordism's flexible labor and globalized production.
Sequential workstation manufacturing
- mass productionLarge-scale standardized fabrication
- interchangeable partsIdentical components fitting any unit
- standardizationImplementing uniform technical specifications
- division of laborSplitting tasks among workers
conveyor belt · manufacturing · automation · mechanization · production line · factory system · economies of scale · throughput
Systematic workflow optimization theory
- scientific managementTheory optimizing labor efficiency
- efficiencyProductive without waste
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
- technocracyGovernance by technical experts
managerialism · modernization · progress · social engineering · paternalism · corporatism · Americanism · Gramsci
Large-scale public purchasing
- purchasing powerEconomic spending ability
- middle class expansionIncrease in median earners
- economic growthSustained output increase
- commodificationTransforming into sellable goods
planned obsolescence · vertical integration · corporate consolidation · oligopoly · market control · price reduction · affordability · domestic market
First mass-produced automobile
- Highland ParkNeighborhood named for terrain
- DetroitMichigan automotive hub
- DearbornMichigan city, automotive hub
Work exchanged for payment
- living wageIncome covering necessities
- deskillingReducing job complexity
- shop floorIndustrial production workspace
- blue-collarManual labor workforce
labor unions · collective bargaining · assembly worker · shift work · job specialization · alienation · proletariat · industrial relations
assembly line
Sequential workstation manufacturing
- mass productionLarge-scale standardized fabrication
- interchangeable partsIdentical components fitting any unit
- standardizationImplementing uniform technical specifications
division of labor · conveyor belt · manufacturing · automation · mechanization · production line · factory system · economies of scale · throughput · workflow
Taylorism
Systematic workflow optimization theory
- scientific managementTheory optimizing labor efficiency
- efficiencyProductive without waste
- rationalizationInventing acceptable motives afterward
technocracy · managerialism · modernization · progress · social engineering · paternalism · corporatism · Americanism · Gramsci · bureaucratization
mass consumption
Large-scale public purchasing
- purchasing powerEconomic spending ability
- middle class expansionIncrease in median earners
- economic growthSustained output increase
commodification · planned obsolescence · vertical integration · corporate consolidation · oligopoly · market control · price reduction · affordability · domestic market · Keynesianism
Model T
First mass-produced automobile
- Highland ParkNeighborhood named for terrain
- DetroitMichigan automotive hub
- DearbornMichigan city, automotive hub
wage labor
Work exchanged for payment
- living wageIncome covering necessities
- deskillingReducing job complexity
- shop floorIndustrial production workspace
blue-collar · labor unions · collective bargaining · assembly worker · shift work · job specialization · alienation · proletariat · industrial relations · workforce management
Fordismhandcrafting
Manual creation of objects
cottage industry · made-to-order · handicraft · batch production
Fordismdeindustrialization
Loss of industrial capacity
knowledge economy · service economy · information economy · gig economy · neoliberalism
Fordismgig work
Independent, temporary task employment
freelancing · flat hierarchy · multiskilling · job rotation · remote work