The McDonaldization of Society

In the later part of the 20th century, fast-food industries rose to prominence across the United States, including the McDonald’s hamburger chain. As part of fast-food production came the standardization of quality and processes. This, coupled with the repetition of tasks employees performed, delivered a uniformed taste and customer experience across all fast-food franchises. Customers expected every McDonalds to offer up the same recipe and environment.

This standardization began to infiltrate other organizations. That is, efficiency and impersonality were valued over technical competence in these highly structured and hierarchical franchises. This led sociologists to identify that America was succumbing to McDonaldization as a way of life.

For this assignment, you are asked to research the term McDonaldization using a search engine like Google. Choose a minimum of four sources. Feel free to use a variety of sources including social media, scholarly writings, online shopping, food delivery services, and other facets of a culture where McDonaldization is evident. The idea here is to see how McDonaldization is understood in the world.
Based on your findings from these various sources, summarize the outcomes of McDonaldization on society. How has bureaucracy served to work in some ways, but not in others?