Theory development: An industrial/post-industrial perspective on manufacturing

The external environment for many organizations is shifting from an industrial stage, characterized by homogeneous, national markets and slow rates of technological change, to a post-industrial stage, characterized by expanding global competition and rapidly changing markets and technology. These fundamental changes in the external environment are causing organizations to alter significantly their managerial beliefs and attitudes, organizational structure, and manufacturing practices. The paper provides a framework for understanding these changes, reviews the relevant literature from diverse fields and presents a set of research propositions for investigation.