McDonaldization

"McDonaldization" is the application of the principles of the fast food industry to other industries, organizations, and sectors of society. This concept is an extension of Max Weber's concept of rationality and is characterized by four principles: efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control. For many, the concept of McDonaldization is so pervasive that it is difficult to see that it is a departure from the way that things have been done in the past or even the extent to which it characterizes modern life today. Although, in theory, McDonaldization makes for more efficient processes that support today's businesses and bureaucracies, it can also lead to a condition known as the "iron cage of rationality," which Weber posited could eternally trap individuals as they moved from one rational organization to another, and could eventually reduce the ability of human beings to use their creative and imaginative powers and their ability to do things for themselves.

Keywords Bureaucracy; Capitalism; Culture; Economic Development; Ethnicity; Globalization; Industrialization; McDonaldization; Postindustrial; Postmodernism; Rationalization of Society; Religious Nationalism; Society; Turnover

Social Interaction in Groups & Organizations > McDonaldization

Overview

Many of us have visited American amusement parks intended to give visitors a taste of world cultures. The park, divided into numerous villages, intends to show the highlights of a particular ethnicity and its concomitant culture, including China, Germany, France, and Great Britain. Restaurants in each area serve the food of the region and souvenir shops sell imported goods. Entertainment ranges from panoramic 360 degree movies showing the variety of the national landscape to colorful native dances. Although it all sounds good in theory, in reality it is quite disappointing. The American interpretation of native foods ("reinvented" to be more compatible with American tastes and expectations) pales in comparison to the "real deal" as the assembly line interpretation of native customs proves to be less than accurate.

American sociologist George Ritzer posits that such experiences are the result of "McDonaldization," or the application of the principles of the fast food industry to other industries and sectors of postmodern society. McDonaldization affects not only the food industry (or amusement parks) but can be seen reflected in the standardization of many of the venues. Businesses such as big-box stores, shopping malls, cruise ships, and sports stadiums are common examples of enterprises that have been McDonaldized to make them highly rational organizations that offer workers low pay and customers ease, convenience, consistency, and familiarity. For example, although the stores may differ from venue to venue, one can walk into most shopping malls today and expect to see the area anchored by two or more major department stores (which themselves are McDonaldized so that a customer familiar with one store can easily find the same goods in the same location in another store), linked by smaller stores selling specialty goods (most of which are also McDonaldized replicas of other branches or franchises across the country), and a somewhat centralized food court (that serves the same food in all their branches so that customers can eat the same familiar hamburger, pita wrap, or French fries whether they are in Bangor, Maine; San Diego, California; or Peoria, Illinois. However, McDonaldization goes far beyond this supposedly comforting sameness of familiar retail organizations and has been extended by some theorists to include the American educational system, the travel industry, health care, and politics, among other social organizations.

Max Weber's Rationality Concept

The concept of McDonaldization is an extension of Max Weber's concept of rationality. Weber observed that as society became more modernized, customs and traditions were replaced by rationally developed and efficient processes. According to this theory, modern society of the Western world was formed by two forces: capitalism and bureaucracy. Together, these forces operated to encourage the application of regulations and universal standards to make processes more efficient. Rather than allowing for individual differences and human variation, capitalism and bureaucracy work together to create superior methods that are more successful in the modern era than more traditional practices and approaches because they were rational. This, in turn, allowed rational systems to perform more efficiently. According to Weber's theory, bureaucracies mark the high point of modern social organizations because they are rational, using abstract, universal, and regular authority and standards. Weber believed that bureaucracies were technically superior to other forms of human organizations and would eventually become the dominant organizational form. He viewed the success of bureaucracies over other types of organizations as being due to a number of characteristics including the use of fixed offices, hierarchy, documentation, focus on credentials and training, and the implementation of universal standards that were applicable to everyone within the organization.

Weber predicted that as society progressed it would become increasingly characterized by rationality. This can be observed, for example, by the increasingly meticulous ways in which employees must work in order to interact with technology. The concept of McDonaldization is another example of this concept by which common processes are reduced to their elemental steps and made as rational as possible in order to improve standardization, efficiency, and productivity. However, Weber himself noted a potential problem with this trend. He warned that the "iron cage of rationality" could eternally trap individuals as they moved from one rational organization to another and that these structures would eventually reduce the ability of human beings to use their creative and imaginative powers and their ability to do things for themselves. In many ways, this can be seen as people increasingly become creatures of habit. For example, one knows the quickest route to school or work and tends to take that rather than alternative routes that offer the opportunity to see the beauty of nature, explore new areas, or even avoid high-traffic areas. In many homes, dinner is often a pizza ordered from a McDonaldized chain from which one can expect a certain quality, or from a microwavable box purchased in the frozen food section of the grocery store rather than from fresh ingredients that were creatively combined to take advantage of seasonal produce. Shopping malls with a standard set of national department stores are increasingly becoming the norm as local chains and individual boutiques are bought out or go out of business.

Ritzer's Dimensions of McDonaldization

There are for dimensions to McDonaldization as described by Ritzer.

• First, organizations operating under this paradigm are efficient so that processes move smoothly from start to finish along a streamlined path. For example, in fast food restaurants, each hamburger is made in exactly the same way starting from the weight and shape of the meat patty and ending with the way each completed and dressed burger is wrapped before being presented to the customer. In fact, in some organizations, the process becomes so the streamlined that the customer performs all the work (through the use of an automated teller machine at a bank instead of a live teller). In many ways, this streamlining of processes is reminiscent of scientific management in which jobs are analyzed and broken down into their component tasks using a time and motion study to determine the most efficient way of performing the tasks.
• The second aspect of McDonaldization is calculability or the emphasis on the quantitative aspects of the products sold (size, cost, time to manufacture). For example, at McDonald's restaurants, managers are required to account for all supplies and ingredients, including keeping track of the cubic inches of ketchup that are used each day. Similarly, employee manuals specify how long tasks should take down to the level of the second. Ritzer argues that this aspect of McDonaldization emphasizes quantity over quality and that the success of McDonaldized organizations and processes is due to the speed and consistency of product delivery rather than the quality of the product itself.
• The third distinguishing feature of McDonaldization is predictability. This characteristic means that customers are assured that the product that they receive will be identical no matter where they order it. Because of predictability, a customer can order a Quarter Pounder with cheese in Miami, Florida, and expect (and receive) the exact same product as if it were ordered in Seattle, Washington, or Vienna, Austria. In addition, in the McDonald's restaurants concept, not only will the food be nearly identical, but the restaurant in which one eats will also be nearly identical, with the same decorations, order counter, and plastic seats.
• Finally, McDonaldization is characterized by control, not only of the processes by which the food (or other products or services in the case of McDonaldized organizations) is prepared and delivered, but of other tasks as well. Under this concept, even the actions of the employees—and in some regards the customers—is scripted. The employee is required to say, "Welcome to McDonald's. May I take your order?" (or some other prescribed greeting) and the company strives to reduce the customer's actions to ordering a set combination off the menu. (For example, when the customer orders a "Quarter Pounder with cheese meal" the employee may often ask if the customer is asking for a "number 3.") Machines are also used as much as possible to reduce the tasks performed by humans in order to reduce the chance of human error (e.g., the use of an automated drink dispenser that not only pours out the requested beverage but also fills the cup to a precise level so that none of the drink is spilled or wasted).

Benefits of McDonaldization

There are several obvious benefits to McDonaldization, including efficiency and consistency.

Efficiency

The efficiency that is the hallmark of such organizations allows frequently time-pressed twenty-first century individuals to reduce the amount of time that they need to wait in line and receive a product. This can also be done with an expectation that the resultant product will meet quality standards. Although the emphasis on speed and efficiency over quality means that the product will more than likely not be of high quality, it also helps the customer feel reasonably certain that it will not fall below certain standards, either. The customer can then make a choice to get a lower-quality product quickly or to receive a higher-quality product more slowly.

Consistency

Further, the customer can be assured that the price of a product will be consistent no matter where it is purchased. This process was referred to by Max Weber as the rationalization of society. This concept refers to the observation that modern society is increasingly becoming organized around empirical, scientific, and other forms of rational thought.

Negatives of McDonaldization

However, Weber also pointed out that his systems organizations become increasingly rational, they concomitantly become increasingly irrational as well.

Loss of Creativity & Imagination

Ritzer argues that a society becomes more dependent on the familiar products and services that result from rationalized or McDonaldized processes, individuals begin to lose their creativity and imagination, which are arguably part of what makes us human.

Lack of Individuation among Cultures

Further, although the trend towards globalization offers humans increasing opportunities to stretch their horizons and expand their boundaries and experiences, as McDonaldization proliferates across the globe, these trends are in many ways effectively neutralized.

Efficiency for Supplier but not Customer

Ritzer also argues that by their very nature, rational systems are unreasonable and deny many of the basic attributes of humanity (Kashefi, 1997). Ritzer points out that rational systems are not necessarily the most efficient systems from the customer's point of view but only from the point of view of the supplier.

Dehumanizing

In addition, rationality has a tendency to become dehumanizing to the people in the process and, therefore, become irrational. By taking out the opportunities for self-expression and creativity, McDonaldization reduces employee motivation and results in increased job dissatisfaction, absenteeism, and turnover. These so-called rational processes can also harm the relationship among employees or between employees and customers by reducing them to false friendliness.

Applications

The Implications of McDonaldization

For many of members of twenty-first century Western societies, the concept of McDonaldization is so pervasive throughout their experience that it is difficult to understand that it is a departure from the way that things have been done in the past as well as the extent to which it characterizes their lives today. With this mindset, it can also be difficult to understand that there are negative implications of McDonaldization. Many people have come to expect a certain level of standardization for many things in their lives, ranging from the quality of fast food meal or home-delivered pizza to the ability to use automated teller machines, grocery store discount cards that track our purchases, or near instantaneous long-distance communication around the globe through communications technology. Many of these things are the artifacts of industrialization or even postindustrial society. McDonaldization is more than the application of rationality to processes in the name of efficiency.

Barber's McWorld Ideology

As preindustrial nations continue to undergo economic development and move into their own age of industrialization, the characteristics of McDonaldization typically follow. However, in the process, traditional values and creativity can be lost. Not everyone sees this as an advance for the society that experiences it. McDonaldization is more than an efficient way to perform processes and ensure standards. It can be seen as a philosophy that pervades society and distinguishes postmodern cultures from those that are less economically developed in many ways. For example, political theorist Benjamin R. Barber (1992) maintains that the social conflict exemplified by the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, was bound to erupt due to the vastly different ideologies of technological, secular Western culture (which he refers to as McWorld) and the religious nationalism of some other countries that resist this ideology. According to Barber, the McWorld dynamic comprises four imperatives: a market imperative, a resource imperative, an information technology imperative, and an ecological imperative. These factors have helped Western society overcome much of their nationalism in favor of a more global worldview.

• Globalization and its concomitant market imperative have reinforced the desire for international peace and stability in order to promote a more efficient global economy.
• Further, the resource imperative involves the need for societies to be self-sufficient and independent of other societies.
• The information technology imperative, or the fact that business, banking, and commerce today are dependent upon the flow of information and facilitated by new technologies, has also changed the way that many societies operate. Through information technology, commerce can now be conducted around the world twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. As science and technology continue to advance, societies to be continually need to be more open to each other.
• The nations of McWorld, according to Barber, must also have an ecological imperative that requires individuals, corporations, and nations to be more aware of the impact of their actions on the health of the planet. Although this is good for the health of the planet, it can also have the unintended side effect of inhibiting the growth of developing nations as the developed world strives to undo the negative planetary impacts of its advances by keeping developing nations from increasing the problem.

McWorld Abstainers

However, not every nation is part of Barber's McWorld, nor does every nation desire to be. Tradition and custom are important to many cultures and relinquishing these in favor of a McWorld philosophy is difficult at best and unthinkable at worst. On the other side of the equation are those societies marked by religious nationalism, which are not part of McWorld and in which the McDonaldization of society is seen as a social evil that must be prevented at all costs. Many of the small ethnic, racial, tribal, or religious wars of the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, in fact, a reaction against the pervasiveness of globalization and McWorld. Fighting against this concept can sometimes become an end in itself and an expression of community identity. Although in some cases this may result in war and terrorism, in many cases it does not. However, even as some societies strive for increasing globalization and McDonaldization, others move toward secession and ever smaller communities.

Conclusion

Progress can be difficult to define in a practical sense. Is it progress, for example, for a society to become more economically developed at the cost of losing the traditions and culture that made it unique? On the other hand, is it progress for a society to give up the advantages of technology and rationality and become noncompetitive in global society in order to maintain their traditional culture and beliefs? The application of rationality that is part of the McDonaldization process of many societies today is arguably beneficial in many ways. However, as Weber himself pointed out, the iron cage of rationality can result not only in the loss of individuality and creativity, but in the loss of traditional culture and values that have defined a society for generations. Arguably, societal progress needs to take both these concepts into account.

Terms & Concepts

Bureaucracy: A formal organization that has a hierarchy of authority, a clear division of labor, explicit rules, and a culture of impersonality.

Capitalism: An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned (not owned by the government or state) either individually or corporately and operated for profit. In capitalism, investments, distribution, income, production, and pricing are determined by a free market economy.

Culture: A complex system of meaning, beliefs, and behavior that is socially transmitted and that defines a common way of life for a group or society. Culture includes the totality of behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and other products of human work and thought of the society or group.

Economic Development: The sustainable increase in living standards for a nation, region, or society. More than mere economic growth, economic development is sustainable and improves the well-being of all members of the group through increased per capita income and improved education, health, and environmental protection. Economic development is progressive in nature and positively affects the socioeconomic structure of a society.

Ethnicity: A social construct used to describe a relatively large group of people who share a common and distinctive culture such as a common history, language, religion, norms, practices, and customs. Although members of an ethnic group may be biologically related, ethnicity is not the same as race.

Globalization: Globalization is the spreading of businesses or technologies across the world. This creates an interconnected, global marketplace operating outside the constraints of time zone or national boundary. Although globalization means an expanded marketplace, products are typically adapted to fit the specific needs of each locality or culture to which they are marketed.

Industrialization: The use of mechanization to produce the economic goods and services within a society. Historically, industrialization is a society's transition between farm production and manufacturing production. Industrialization is associated with factory production, division of labor, and the concentration of industries and populations within certain geographical areas and concomitant urbanization.

McDonaldization: The application of the principles of the fast food industry to other industries and sectors of postmodern society. The four dimensions of McDonaldization are efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control.

Postindustrial: The nature of a society whose economy is no longer dependent on the manufacture of goods (industrial), but is primarily based upon the processing and control of information and the provision of services.

Postmodernism: A worldview beginning in the latter half of the twentieth century that questions or rejects claims of absolute certainty and objective truth.

Rationalization of Society: A concept coined by Max Weber to describe the observation that modern society is increasingly becoming organized around empirical, scientific, and other forms of rational thought.

Religious Nationalism: Nationalism in which religion is used as a tool or veil to justify nationalistic attitudes and actions. Religious nationalism typically occurs in societies that do not have a high degree of religious pluralism and in which religion is closely associated with the national culture.

Society: A distinct group of people who live within the same territory, share a common culture and way of life, and are relatively independent from people outside the group. Society includes systems of social interactions that govern both culture and social organization.

Turnover: The number of new employees that an organization must hire in order to replace those that have left the company in a given period of time.

Bibliography

Ahuvia, A., & Izberk-Bilgin, E. (2011). Limits of the McDonaldization thesis: eBayization and ascendant trends in post-industrial consumer culture. Consumption, Markets & Culture, 14, 361–384. Retrieved October 24, 2013 from EBSCO online database SocINDEX with Full Text. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=67043585

Andersen, M. L. & Taylor, H. F. (2002). Sociology: Understanding a diverse society. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thomson Learning.

Barber, B. R. (1992, Mar). Jihad vs. McWorld. The Atlantic Monthly. Retrieved June 4, 2008, from http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/199203/barber

Brinkmann, S. (2012). Qualitative research between craftsmanship and McDonaldization. Qualitative Studies, 3, 56–68. Retrieved October 24, 2013 from EBSCO online database SocINDEX with Full Text. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=74258706

Denegri-Knott, J., & Zwick, D. (2012). Tracking Prosumption Work on eBay: Reproduction of Desire and the Challenge of Slow Re-McDonaldization. American Behavioral Scientist, 56, 439-458. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from EBSCO Online Database SocINDEX with Full Text. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=73794547

Grosglik, R., & Ram, U. (2013). Authentic, speedy and hybrid. Food, Culture & Society, 16, 223–243. Retrieved October 24, 2013 from EBSCO online database SocINDEX with Full Text. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=87722150

Hamilton, M. (2014). McSentencing: Mass Federal Sentencing and the Law of Unintended Consequences. Cardozo Law Review, 35, 2199-2262. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from EBSCO Online Database SocINDEX with Full Text. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=98041604

Kashefi, M. (1997). The McDonaldization of society. Critical Sociology, 23, 132-136. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from EBSCO Online Database SocINDEX with Full Text. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=11069347&site=ehost-live

Lippmann, S. & Aldrich, H. (2003). The rationalization of everything? Using Ritzer's McDonaldization thesis to teach Weber. Teaching Sociology, 31, 134-145. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from EBSCO Online Database Education Research Complete. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ehh&AN=11349168&site=ehost-live

Suggested Reading

Bohm, R.M. (2006). "McJustice": On the McDonaldization of criminal justice. Justice Quarterly, 23, 127-146. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=19851102&site=ehost-live

Esmer, Y. (2006). Globalization, "McDonaldization" and values: Quo vadis? Comparative Sociology, 5(2/3), 183-202. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=22725093&site=ehost-live

Kemmesies, U. E. (2002). What do hamburgers and drug care have in common: Some unorthodox remarks on the McDonaldization and rationality of drug care. Journal of Drug Issues, 32, 689-707. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=7009334&site=ehost-live

Ritzer, G. (1995). The McDonaldization of society: An investigation into the changing character of contemporary social life. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press.

Taylor, S. & Lyon, P. (1995). Paradigm lost: The rise and fall of McDonaldization. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 7(2/3), 64-68. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from EBSCO Online Database Business Source Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=3923215&site=ehost-live

Treiber, L. A. (2013). McJobs and Pieces of Flair: Linking McDonaldization to Alienating Work. Teaching Sociology, 41, 370-376. Retrieved December 12, 2014, from EBSCO Online Database SocINDEX with Full Text. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=90495190

Waring, J., & Bishop, S. (2013). McDonaldization or commercial restratification: Corporatization and the multimodal organisation of English doctors. Social Science & Medicine, 82, 147–155. Retrieved October 24, 2013 from EBSCO online database SocINDEX with Full Text. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=sih&AN=85904447

Wilkinson, G. (2006). McSchools for McWorld? Mediating global pressures with a McDonaldizing education policy response. Cambridge Journal of Education, 36, 81-98. Retrieved August 19, 2008, from EBSCO Online Database Academic Search Premier. http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=19896407&site=ehost-live