Download Rationalization

Lecture Nine
McDonaldization & Rationality
Globalization and Social Life
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In the post-industrial period of globalization we are
much more interdependent than ever before. Most
of our daily requirements – food, work, clothing, etc
– are supplied by people we never meet working in
organization we know little about
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This requires organizations (secondary groups) that can
coordinate the resources and activities needed to keep
society and our daily lives running smoothly
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How these organizations are organized greatly affects how
we live our lives and interact with those around us
The Modern Organization: Rationally
Organized
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Most of the organizations we depend on
today – government, corporations, schools,
etc - are organized rationally
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Sociologists call these types of organizations
“bureaucracies”
Rationalization is the process by which
thought and action are no longer rooted in
emotion, tradition, but become rooted in
‘value-rational’ thought and action
Thinking Rationally

Rationalization is both a way of thinking and
a way of organizing and coordinating human
activities and the goods they produce

To think and act rationally is to find the most
efficient means to achieve a goal.
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Example: How do we interact with cows?
Cows: Hindus vs. Americans
Beyond Rationality?

Sociologist George Ritzer argues that we have
moved to an even great level of rationality, which is
the McDonaldization of society, whereby the
“process by which the principles of the fast food
restaurant are coming to dominate more and more
sectors of society”

This new type of rational organization is based on
the principles of:

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Efficiency
Quantification
Predictability
Non-human Technology
Efficiency

Efficiency is the choosing the fastest means to an
end, with the least amount of cost or effort
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The idea of efficiency is specific to the interests of
the industry or business, but is typically advertised
as a benefit to the customer

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Examples: the drive-up window, self-serve gasoline, ATM's,
The customer often ends up doing the work that
previously was done for them.

We end up spending more time, being forced to learn new
technologies, remember more numbers, and often pay
higher prices
Quantification & Calculation

Quantification “involves an emphasis on
things that can be calculated, counted,
quantified. Quantification refers to a tendency
to emphasize quantity rather than quality.
This leads to a sense that quality is equal to
certain, usually (but not always) large
quantities of things."

Examples of this element include: the "Big Mac,"
the Whopper," "Big Gulp," Wendy's "Biggie Meals"
Predictability
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Predictability refers to the attempt to
structure our environment so that surprise
and difference do not encroach upon our
sensibilities. Rational people need to know
what to expect

They want to be sure that the fun, satisfaction,
taste, and benefits they received last week in
Cincinnati will be repeated next week in San
Diego. A Big Mac is a Big Mac is a Big Mac
Non-human Technology
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Non-human Technology: Everything is prepackaged, pre-measured, automatically controlled.
The human employee is not required to think, just
follow the instructions and push a button now and
then
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"The next step in this development is to have the customer
do the scanning,..."
What this means is that the skills and capabilities of
the human actor are quickly becoming things of the
past. Who we are and how we interact is becoming
defined by our dependence upon and subordination
to the machine
“Iron Cage of Rationality”

Max Weber feared that a rationally organized
society can become a cage in which we are
trapped and our basic humanity denied

As society becomes more rational, people
are locked into a series of rational systems,
only able to move from one system to
another
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from rationalized educational institutions, to
rationalized workplaces, to rationalized
recreational settings, to rationalized homes
Disenchantment of the World
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McDonaldization at large works to eliminate
genuine human interaction, because
interactions are unpredictable and waste time
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How do you think McDonalization affects our
social connections?
Social Capital?
As our interactions are structured by rational
environments, there is a break down in
genuine and spontaneous human interaction
Rationality can lead to Irrationality
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Ritzer argues that extreme rationality or
McDonaldization can lead to irrational
outcomes
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"Most specifically, irrationality means that
rational systems are unreasonable systems.
By that I mean that they deny the basic
humanity, the human reason, of the people
who work within or are served by them." –
George Ritzer
Irrationality of Fast Food
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The rational organization of the Fast Food provides many
conveniences today. Fast food is cheap, fast, and easy.
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However, it also produces many irrationalities in our society:
 The food we eat is often less nourishing, loaded with stabilizers
and flavor enhancers, fats, salt and sugar. This contributes to the
health problems of our society, such a skyrocketing rates of
diabetes, obesity and heart disease.
 The packaging used in fast food industry pollutes the
environment.
 Microwavable foods and fast-food restaurants allow us to eat
what we want, when we want it. The ritual of cooking, eating
together, and sharing is fading from the American family.
The Rational Organization of Our Daily
Lives
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As we grow more interdependent with
globalization, we can examine the ways in
which most of the organizations that play a
central role in our daily lives are becoming
McDonaldized and the impacts this has on
our social connections and social
relationships with others
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As we grow more organizationally connected
are we becoming less socially connected?