In his famous article The McDonaldization of Society Ritzer identifies four rationalizing dimensions or principles of McDonald's that contribute to the McDonaldization process:
1. Efficiency: McDonalds offers products quickly and easily without depositing an excessive amount of money. The "McDonalds model" and therefore McDonalds operations follow a predesigned process leading to a specified end, using productive means. The efficiency of the McDonalds model has infiltrated other modern services such as online tax filing, easy weight loss programs, The Walt Disney Company FASTPASSes and online dating services.
2. Calculation:America has grown to connect the quantity of a product with the quality of a product and that "bigger is better." According to Ritzer the "McDonalds model" is influential in this conception because it provides a lot of food for not so much money. While end products fuel the connection between product quantity and quality, so does McDonald's production process. Throughout food production, everything is standardized and highly calculated: the size of the meat patty, the number of fries per order, and the time spent on a franchise. The high computing power of the McDonalds franchise also extends to academics. It is thought that academic experience, in high school and higher education, can be quantified in a single number, the GPA. What's more, calculability leads to the idea that the longer the resume or list of degrees, the better the candidate will be, during an application process. In addition to academics who are affected by McDonaldization in society, sports, especially basketball, have also been affected. It used to be that basketball was a more relaxed and slow game, but through the creation of fast food and McDonalds, a shot clock was added to increase not only the speed of the game, but also the number of points scored. especially basketball have also been affected. It used to be that basketball was a more relaxed and slow game, but through the creation of fast food and McDonalds, a shot clock was added to increase not only the speed of the game, but also the number of points scored. especially basketball have also been affected. It used to be that basketball was a more relaxed and slow game, but through the creation of fast food and McDonalds, a shot clock was added to increase not only the speed of the game, but also the number of points scored.
3. Predictability:Related to calculability, customers know what to expect from a certain producer of goods or services. For example, customers know that each McDonald's Big Mac is going to be the same as the next; There is an understood predictability to the menu, as well as the overall experience. To maintain the predictability of each franchise, there must be "discipline, order, systematization, formalization, routine, consistency and a methodical operation." The predictability of the McDonalds franchise also appears through the golden arches in front of each franchise, as well as the scripts employees use on customers. The Walt Disney Company also has regulations in place, such as a dress code for men and women, in order to increase the predictability of each amusement park or Disney operation. Predictability has also extended to movie and TV show sequels. With every movie sequel the plot is predictable and usually follows a preconceived pattern.
4. Control:McDonald's restaurants pioneered the idea of highly specialized tasks for all employees to ensure that all human workers are operating at exactly the same level. This is one way to keep a complicated system running smoothly; Rules and regulations that make efficiency, calculability and predictability possible. Often, the use of non-human technology, such as computers, is used. McDonalds food is already "pre-prepared", the potatoes are already cut and processed, they only need to be fried and heated, and the food preparation process is monitored and tracked. Computers tell managers how many burgers are needed at lunchtime and other rush hours and the size and shape of pickles, Just as the amount to go on a hamburger is managed and controlled. The control aspect of McDonaldization has spread to other companies, Sylvan Learning and phone operating systems, and even birth and death. Every step of the learning process at Sylvan, the U-shaped tables and instruction manuals, is monitored, as is every step of the birthing process, in today's hospitals, and the dying process.1
McDonaldization is profitable, desirable, and at the forefront of technological advancements. Many "McDonald's" aspects of society are beneficial to the advancement and improvement of human life. Some claim that rationalization leads to "more egalitarian" societies. For example, supermarkets and large grocery stores offer variety and availability unlike small farmers markets of past generations. The McDonaldization of the company also allows operations to be more productive, improve the quality of some products and produce services and products at lower cost. The Internet has provided countless new services to people that were previously impossible, like checking bank statements without going to a bank or being able to buy things online without leaving the house. These things are all positive effects of the rationalization and McDonaldization of society.
However, McDonaldization also alienates people and creates a disenchantment with the world. The growing normalization of society dehumanizes people and institutions. The "assembly line" feel of fast food restaurants is transcending many other facets of life and leading humanity away from previously human experiences. Through the implementation of machines and computers in society, human beings can begin to "behave like machines" and thus "be replaced by machines."
