Here's a key thought I'd like you to consider:

How is our society, societies around the globe, becoming more like a McDonald's restaurant?

• Our work opportunities, wage structures are narrower than they once were--how many different kinds of jobs can you get at McDonald's, and what sorts of different skills are required to do them? Are we moving into an era where specialization is required, and how can we grow as employees, as workers, if we're merely performing a few tasks (whether they be simple or complex)? McDonald's has many many more applicants than jobs (but it's harder to get into Harvard, even if the acceptance rate is higher--why?).
• De-skilling of the workforce--like McDonald's, many jobs now require little training, because much of the thought work has been taken out of them--workers become technicians, or as Ritzer says, automatons (chapter 2). Machines don't ask for raises, they don't call in sick, they don't offend the customers, and they don't screw up orders. As for taking the thought out of work, it doesn't end with work. We're told what news is, and rarely asked to think twice about it. We're supposed to support our government's war, and not to debate its merits once it has begun. How many times in primary and secondary school were you encouraged to question the information being presented to you? That sort of thing makes it take longer to get 'educated.'
• Emphasis on quantity over quality (making things accessible, predictable)--think about the artist Thomas Kinkade--you may like his work, but what may be important about it is the ability to mass produce it, and the specific techniques by which that is accomplished--he is using McDonaldization to do something that artists in previous centuries couldn't have done (perhaps wouldn't have done, but that's a different question). No, I'm not really trying to pick on Kinkade, but if you can understand how what he does reflects McDonaldization, and how it may be a symptom of a broader social problem, then you have nailed the concept.
• Control--a simple example is the scripted people that work the counter at fast food places. How do we control crowds at amusement parks? How do we control cheating at Casinos? How do we make sure the house always comes out ahead? How do we control what politicians say so that they don't say things that might offend important portions of the electorate? Look at the restrictions on Americans' civil liberties being proposed in the name of security. Look at the restrictions on behavior of working at a McDonald's--as Ritzer says, employees are actually more likely to be punished for being creative, deviating from the script, taking the french fry machine and modifying the default settings ...

What's revolutionary about McDonald's?

• Franchising-chains (think of malls-they're all the same all over, right? Even in Italy, I've found--the stores may have Italian names, but they offer the same products (e.g., a 1000 lire store instead of an under $10 store). In addition, the franchises are owned independently, BUT . . . the owners must agree to adhere to the McDonald's principles.
• Uniformity of product--same mediocrity wherever you go, but it's certainly predictable, safe
• Control over production (from spud farmers to restaurant trainees, we tell them what to grow, what to say, and fire them if they deviate)
• Spawned a shift in eating habits (for both good and bad … )
• Don't forget profit-most of McDonaldization is done for commercial gain (but not all-efficiency is a powerful motivator, and we all use those principles here and there to save time, money, something)

What other fast-food chains have taken on the McDonald's model? Why? How have they tried to differentiate themselves from McDonald's?

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Where does McDonaldization come from (its conceptual origins)?

Sociologist Max Weber, writing in the early part of this century, identified this process of rationalization. At the time, it wasn't so apparent what a BIG, and possibly irreversible process, it was. Weber's interest was in the organizational variant of rationalization--the bureaucratic organization. We often think of bureaucracies as 'red tape,' or 'government,' but the bureaucracy is a type of organization that dominates our lives. Some of its characteristics include hierarchical organization (think of EOU, we have a president, a provost, vice presidents of student affairs and finance, deans, etc., faculty, staff, and students). The food chain is pretty clear. Without hierarchical organization, we might not know who to communicate with on a certain problem, or who would be responsible for solving it. Part of this also involves specialization (look at a list of subspecialties just in the field of microbiology). There's a lot of information out there for one person to master. Imagine the field of medicine without subspecialties. Formal rules and procedures are also important. Think of the registration process, graduation requirements, etc. We have to offer things that are comparable with what other institutions offer, to make EOU competitive for students, and EOU degrees competitive in the job market. People hold positions, but there's a separation of office and property. In other words, officeholders can't bribe students to get into good classes--they have to follow rules, aren't supposed to take home office supplies, and they're paid salaries, to avoid a conflict of their personal interests with the overall interests of the institution. Our lives are conditioned by bureaucratic organizations--why don't we jaywalk? Why do we attend class regularly? Why do so many people work 40 hour weeks, 8 to 5 schedules? Why do we pay taxes?

Societies are becoming more formal, more ordered, more institutional (look at school, elderly care, transportation, government, customer service, newspapers [sections] law enforcement, child care, telephone communications, markets, recreation [interpretation], time, etc.) warfare (technology, specialization, media) and even the holocaust. Six million jews were exterminated in less than 10 years. The Nazis could not have done this without rationalizing the process--they made it as efficient as possible. When prisoners in concentration camps became too weak to do labor, they were sent in mass to the gas chamber, their bodies buried in mass graves. Rationalization of mass murder ...

But why does it happen? Because societies grow, and as they do they become more complex. Think about trying to run a large university without offices, a hierarchy of staff, rules, etc. What if registration was a free-for-all in the gym? What if food stamps were available on a first come, first serve basis (how long would the money last)? For 35 million people? Bureaucracies have evolved because they are seen as more efficient, predictable ways to control people and organizations. Weber, who saw this coming, wasn't enthusiastic about the process of rationalization. He called bureaucracies an 'iron cage.' Nevertheless, he said it is probably an inevitable, irreversible process. Here's a fun way to spend you next 3-day weekend--think of areas that have actually become less formalized, less rule-bound. Organic food, you say? Well, maybe for a while. But what happens when the market for organic food grows from 5 million to 50 million? How about a movement away from fast food, towards slow food? Here's a brief description of the slow food movement:

Slow Food is an international movement which came into being in Paris in 1989. Its head offices are in Bra, in Piedmont, in the north of Italy where the first national association was founded. Other offices have been opened in Switzerland (1995), in Germany (1998) in New York, in the USA(2000), in France (2003) in Montpellier, and this year in Japan in the northern city of Sendai. Slow Food boasts 80,000 members in more than 100 countries, organized into more than 800 local convivia. In Italy there are about 35,000 members and 360 convivia (in Italy known as condotte). In the rest of the world, there are about 450 convivia and the number is continuing to grow. The condotte in Italy and the convivia worldwide are the linchpins of the Slow Food movement and interpret and represent its philosophy at local level.
The head of the condotta or convivium is the fiduciary or convivium leader, who, through the members and the central office, organizes food and wine events and initiatives, creates moments of conviviality, raises the profile of products and promotes local artisans and wine cellars. He also organizes tasting courses and Taste Workshops and promulgates new food and wine developments and knowledge of the products and cuisines of other areas. In short, he educates in matters of taste.
Local rootedness and decentralization (plus the ensuing conservation of typicality) - and without forgetting the voluntary nature of its representativesÕ contribution - are the most authentic characteristics of the movement, and the network of contacts it has built over the years represents without doubt its most valuable asset.

So . . . sound pretty simple, this slow food movement?

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Why is McDonaldization important?

Well, first, it's a powerful, effective way to control people, and make money. You may notice that much of the stuff Ritzer talks about deals with the service sector. Manufacturing processes have been geared towards efficiency for some time (often to the detriment of quality products, too). But hamburgers? Oil changes? Housing subdivisions? Drive-thru church communion??

Second, it is pervasive and powerful, and companies and institutions have adopted its principles (not always consciously--Ritzer's a sociologist, not a business consultant) in the far reaches of the globe. Because of its spread and influence (largely because its principles have proved so profitable), if it adversely affects people, it may enter the realm of social problems. Remember what we've discussed--social problems adversely affect some groups, but it's often likely that they persist because other groups are benefitting. That's the crux of this unit: Is McDonaldization a social problem?

There are four key features of McDonaldization-how do you find it, characterize it?

Efficiency

• Streamlining processes (any examples?)
• Simplification (e.g., menu, choices--those easy numbered combinations)
• Unpaid work (consumers, self-service--at the checkout stand, the drink fountain)
• Efficiency isn't NEW . . . McDonald's has no monopoly on efficiency, but think of service sector. It's one of the first to adopt it to something like food service.

Calculability

• Money, profit--for many of the McDonaldized applications, making more money is central.
• Quantity over quality (why is Starbuck's 'large' coffee their smallest size?? Why would we call a hamburger a quarter pounder?? A Whopper? A Big Mac? Why Supersize an order?). Now we have half-gallon drink sizes.
• Engineering operations (even 'dressing' a Big Mac is a multi-step process, created by the geniuses at Hamburger University)

Predictability

• Uniformity of product--every quarter pounder with rubber cheese, every french fry, should taste the same, whether it's made in Sheboygen, Wisconsin, Tokyo, or Guadalajara. Can you think of other examples of companies that have tried to make their products predictable? Why would they do this? Are the chances good that it's mostly large chains that do it? How about Hollywood? How many actual plot formulas are used to produce mainstream pictures (there's the sexual tension-leads-to-romance plot line, the dun-me-wrong leads to violent retribution, the wacky sidekicks, the teen-coming-of-age story, etc.)? How about music? Ever wonder why a group's second album often sounds just like the first, with a few different words and chords? Ever listen to Pink Floyd's 'Have a cigar?' Or XTC's 'Liarbird?' (I'm sure there are other more recent variations on this theme)

Control

• Replacing humans with machines (the French Fry vat computer, for instance... )
• Controlling humans (consumers, workers, etc.). Would you like your lecture notes supersized today?? Think WalMart; employees are often scripted, and may be punished for deviating from the script (there are lots of secret shoppers out there). My guess is many people in this class have experienced this, right here in unMcDonaldized La Grande! Think the media, unpatriotic behavior; think about politicians--why are many of them saying the same thing? Is it more comforting for donors to the major parties? Is the 'product' more predictable, more uniform, and likely to increase campaign donations (i.e., sales)?

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Practice at home!

Disney Theme parks (an example to go through ...)

A theme part is a major people management problem. How does Disney do it??

Efficiency

• Parking (efficiency, safety-ways to deal with chaos of tens of thousands of autos daily)
• Flow of tourists (on moving tracks, for instance)
• Invisible guts, infrastructure (utilities)--this stuff can often get in the way of the flow of people
• 'Reservations' (to avoid long line waits)

Control

• System of pathways
• Visitors are inevitably channeled into gift shops
• Lines are often longer than they appear . . . they may seem to get closer, then move further away (this is a technique often used by the DMV in Portland--calling you up to the front multiple times to make it seem as if you're being served)
• Keeping kids and families ('your party') together
• Disney characters as security guards and distractions and hawkers (for waiting people)
• Computerization of rides (for legal, liability reasons … ), animatronics (replacing people)
• Employee interactions with guests is controlled, scripted
• The Disney image, experience, is manufactured, carefully controlled to portray positive, family (white, nuclear, heterosexual) image

Predictability

• It's clean
• It's safe
• It's meticulously landscaped, built (nothing natural here … yes, humans are at the top of the food chain in Disneyland!)
• It's Disneyesque--everything you expect is probably here. Somewhere. If you can find it. If not, ask one of the helpful security guards. The one in the Goofy costume.
• You know what you're getting, like a Big Mac. This has all been figured out for you ahead of time.
• Control is critical in predictability (making sure that guests' experiences are within a narrow range of predictability by controlling the environment)--this is based on research that a more predictable experience is statistically likely to lead to higher sales.

Calculability

• How many visitors (this is important)?
• Statistics about rides, number of animals, etc. The whole notion of 'quantity over quality' is important here. There are certain things you just need to do, even if it means waiting seven hours in line to do them.
• Bottom line is, as usual in corporate America, profit. When Michael Moore's movie Farenheit 9/11 came out, Disney decided not to distribute it through its subsidiary, Miramax, largely because it was looking for some tax breaks from the state legislature in Florida.
• Importance of timing, flow of people through rides, restaurants requires precise engineering (operations)
• Promotional materials emphasize 'fantasy,' 'dreams,' 'magic.' Sound like advertising gimmicks?