Question

How did the policy of Fordism affect workers?

Answer 1

Hint: This concept was propagated by Henry Ford in the 20th century, most famously associated with the motor company of the same name. It is a system of division of labour, strongly influencing the political and social thought surrounding capitalism.

Complete answer: - It is characterised by an assembly line, which is a process of manufacturing involving small steps for increased efficiency. Even though a century has passed, this remains pivotal to the industry even today.
- Breakdown in the creation led to the decline of the value of skilled labour. On the flip side, specialization was on the rise which later reflected negatively as employees were not versatile. Hence, they had to solely depend on business owners to find them these niche jobs, making employment precarious. This declined with the rise of socialism and globalization in the 70s.
- The alienation of workers has been heavily criticised in this system and was reflected in changes in post-Fordism. This called for outsourcing and allocating jobs across regions.
- The shift system also ensured machinery is optimally utilized. Some of these concepts have also been extended to other fields like mining and agriculture.
- Workers reacted negatively to these changes because while they saved time and resources for the employer overall, they did not receive any benefits. The work was uninteresting and this did not reflect in pay.

Note: This is a sociological offspring of Taylorism or Scientific Management. It is a clinical discipline and was given by Frederick W. Taylor.