Whether we like it or not, things around us are becoming more and more calculated and profit-based.
Mass production and computerization have banished traditional ways of doing things. It is occurring everywhere from banks to amusement parks, newspapers to schools.
Undoubtedly, in the post-modern world, the concepts of efficiency, quality control and value-added are the key elements that every business seek to achieve, but what is the basis of all this globalization?
And why is there still skepticism about this process? Is it really that beneficial for the consumers as the companies package it to be?
The advocates of this process argue that it maintains quality, giving everybody the value they expect from their money. But the naysayers are quick to point out that the process that is based on profit cannot really benefit the consumers.
The companies only seek their own benefit, while advertising their products or services as useful and time-effective. On the surface, it may seem user-friendly, but the reality isn’t that pleasant when we start to scratch the surface.
If we are happy with cut-out shapes of chicken nuggets that taste like cardboard, and seeking assistance from a computer-generated voice over the customer helpline, so be it.
But what about those people who seek that personal touch? There is definitely a mass appeal to this process and there is no denying that it is here to stay because almost all businesses are quick to adopt it.
What makes it so attractive? And why do we, as consumers, happily become targets of it? The answer lies definitely beyond the allure of happy meals.
So can we resist this process? Or is it better to passively endure it and just consider its seemingly “positive” aspects? The answer to this question definitely stirs an interesting debate.
But first and foremost, it is important to find out how exactly this phenomenon of globalization started and why it is so commonly applied to all industries. We are all aware of the harmful effects of consuming fast food, but the process by which it is produced has carved its own niche.
American sociologist George Ritzer explains in his book, “The McDonaldization of Society,” that McDonaldization is a process by which the principles of the fast food restaurant are coming to dominate more and more sectors of American society as well as the rest of the world.
He also makes a connection between McDonaldization and Max Weber’s theory of rationalization.
He says, “Weber described how the modern Western world managed to become increasingly rational-that is, dominated by efficiency, predictability, calculability, and nonhuman technology that control people. He also examined why the world largely failed to rationalize.”
So according to Weber, the modern world has its roots in the process of rationalization, and the traditional practices of magic, religion or supernatural are “irrational,” that is they are based on emotions and personal beliefs.
In a rational society, a beauracratic structure is more important than individual effort.
Ritzer uses the same concepts of efficiency, predictability, calculability, and nonhuman control to define his term McDonaldization.
He uses the same term to define the modernization taking place in all other social aspects of our society. He believes that McDonald’s is the basis of one of the most influential developments in contemporary society.
In sim
ple words, McDonaldization is a model in which there is a “well-established division of labor, written rules and regulations, impersonality and a concern for technical competence.”
Ritzer refers to “formal rationality” to describe the sort of rationality when he discusses McDonaldization.
He says, “According to Weber, formal rationality means that the search of people for the optimum means to a given end is shaped by rules, regulations, and larger social structures. Individuals are not left to their own devices in searching for the best means of attainting a given objective.”
Again Ritzer highlights the prevalence of the four dimensions of this system, as mentioned above, which are common between McDonaldization and rationalization. To better understand these four dimensions, it is important to discuss them in depth.
The first dimension is efficiency, which is also referred to as “the optimum method for getting from one point to another.”
Clearly in a fast paced society, satisfying and attending to our needs and wants in the best way possible is very important. We are always looking for fast results.
Borrowing from the McDonald’s model, Ritzer puts forward the example of satisfying our hunger by a “drive-through meal,” while saving time. Nobody has the time for a sit-down meal, let alone appreciate it.
Similarly the concept of efficiency is also applied to other aspects of our society, like taking care of your banking through online bank accounts or drive-through ATMs, or earning an online degree.
Secondly, there is calculability. Ritzer points out that in the McDonaldized system, quantity has become equivalent to quality. A lot of something, or the quick delivery of it, means it must be good. We are more concerned with how far will our dollar stretch, all the while being lured by upsize deals and “all-you-can-eat” offers.
When we order a simple chicken sandwich at McDonald’s, we are often faced by a great ordeal of “would you like to make that a meal?” or “would you like to upsize your combo?” offers.
And most of the times, we simply give in, not because of the plastic smile plastered on the face of the worker behind the counter, but because of the attraction of getting more value out our money. Quantity reigns over quality.
This trend is also common in other industries as well. Grocery stores often attract shoppers by catchy deals. In the excitement of saving money, shoppers often stock up on grocery, without realizing that they end paying more than they intended to.
It doesn’t matter if you get a dollar off on every ice cream pint you buy, but the point is that if you are actually going to finish it all before it expires in your freezer? Consumers don’t realize this, and, as Ritzer states, “the high profits of fast food chains indicates that the owners, not the consumers, get the best deal.”
Then there is predictability. The main feature of fast food chains is their predictability. We don’t need to refer to menu cards. We don’t even bother asking what the chef’s special for the day is. We just order what we always order, knowing that we will get the same output. We do not need to be bothered by a chef’s whim to add an extra pinch of salt in the food that day. The McChicken Sandwich we eat in New York today would be the same in London the next day. When we go to Macy’s we know that the men’s department is always on the ground floor. Apart from expecting the same results, the behavior of the employees of such rationalized systems is also predictable. Employers strive to dehumanize the work process by training the employees in such a way that does not include personal opinions, feelings or elements of personal identity. Employees are given scripts to memorize and use it according to the situations.
Often we, as customers, will find an “Always Smile” caption stuck somewhere behind the counter to remind the employees of their act. One such personal experience is whenever I try to call the Dish Network customer helpline, the assistant on the other end (that is if I get successful in getting hold of a human after going through a tedious process of talking to a computer generated voice) always follow the same routine of greetings and courtesy. It seems pathetic because it just tells you that the individual customer doesn’t really matter as long as you satisfy your customers on the whole.
Lastly there is control through nonhuman technology. Ritzer says, “Technology includes not only machines and tools but also materials, skills, knowledge, rules, regulations, procedures, and techniques.” Jennifer Colvin, a graduate of The University of Iowa, writes in her research paper, The Irrationality of Rationality, explains, “(The) problem with bureaucracies and the rationalization of them is that they are often non-adaptive and are generally not created to respond to change. With a constantly changing society, this creates a problem between workers in a bureaucracy and the rules and regulations they must follow. The fact that humans are not robots is directly correlated with this problem.”
To implement the other dimensions of rationalization, that is predictability, calculability and efficiency, it is important to make your employees behave in a well-scripted order so that they can be controlled. But of course, as Colvin points out, humans are not robots so it is necessary to train them in such a manner that they don’t question the rules and regulations. It is interesting to note that this whole process of non-human control started with Henry Ford’s idea of assembly line. This system permits maximum control over workers. There is a limited time given to each worker on the assembly line to perform his/her specialized task, therefore there is no room for innovation. As assembly lines become more sophisticated, mechanical robots are taking over humans. Fast food chains adopt this same system as workers split the task of making a hamburger using prepared ingredients by following preset procedures. There is no room for individual input. Even grocery stores, like Wal-mart, have now self-checkout systems. The customers scan their own items, insert money in the machines and take their receipt. There is no human intervention at all.
Clearly corporations that are based on the system of McDonaldization are successful and have established a strong reputation for themselves. One such example is USA TODAY that provides quick and to the point stories to its readers. The layout of USA TODAY is famous for presenting a story one page, without making the reader ski
p multiple pages to finish a story. Its sections are also color coded for easy reference. It heavily relies on pictures and colorful charts to add depth to a story. The readers are immediately attracted to the entertaining layout of the newspaper and they are quickly informed about all the news going around the world without being bored.
The elements of calculability, predictability, efficiency and control are also used to rationalize the birth process. Science now allows choosing the characteristics of babies on account of genetic screening and sex selection. Although this technology is not widely used, but the whole notion of rationalizing the birth process is derived from McDonaldization. It is just as “rationalize” as ordering a Big Mac with a side order of Strawberry Milkshake.
There is no doubt that rationalization is an imminent part of the postmodern world. Clearly there is no escape, but can we at least try to resist it? It was interesting to come across a list, titled 100 Things You Can Do to Resist McDonaldization, on a study site put together for George Ritzer. While the list is quite long, some of the points stood out from the rest. Take a look at number 6 that encourages you to familiarize with your neighbors. Number 15 is down right funny: Use a midwife. Number 65 actually tells you to ditch classes with exams graded by a computer.
To defy this large-scale phenomenon we will have to take individual steps, like eating at ethnic restaurants or opting to go out for shopping instead of online shopping. It is true that the rationalized system has its virtues that are very hard to ignore, such as it saves time and money. But in doing so it is dehumanizing our society. We no longer value human interaction or the spontaneity of life. We have become like a mechanical society in the pursuit of perfection. But who says perfection is the best thing?
There is no doubt that the process of rationalization is deeply rooted in our society. Each and every one of us encounters it daily in our life. We seldom stop and think about its negative, or for that matter, positive aspects. It is just everywhere that there is nothing worth noticing about it.
