Page 50 - Sociology and You

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Unit 1 Sociological Perspectives
According to George Ritzer, universities share some of the organizational characteristics of popular fast-food restaurants.
Secondary Analysis:
The McDonaldization of Higher Education
Research is to sociology what lab experiments are to chemists. Through the research process sociologists gather information, or data, to help them understand how people behave in social settings. (In the next chapter, you will learn more about how sociologists do research.) The research project described below will give you some idea of how sociologists use already-collected data to study human social behavior.
In this study, George Ritzer investigated how Max Weber’s process of rationalization (see pages 17–18) is being used by a popular fast- food company. Like Weber, Ritzer was interested in the movement of organizations toward ever-increasing efficiency, predictability, calcula- bility, and control. After explaining each of these characteristics, Ritzer applies rationalization to the field of education in what he calls the
“McDonaldization” of higher education. Efficiency refers to the relationship between effort and result. An organization is most efficient when the maxi- mum results are achieved with minimum effort. For example, fast-food restaurants are effi- cient in part because they transfer work usually done by employees to customers. For example, self-service drink centers allow customers to get refills on drinks while dis- guising the fact they are waiting on themselves. Calculability involves estima- tion based on probabilities. High calculabil- ity exists when the output, cost, and effort associated with products can be pre- dicted. A McDonald’s manager trains employees to make each Big Mac
within a rigid time limit. Predictabilty pertains to consistency of results. Predictability exists when products turn out as planned. Big Macs are the same everywhere. Control is increased by re-