McDonalisation
Is Fordism/Taylorism still evident today? Ritzer’s (2011) says yes.
- His concept of McDonaldization (yes we’re talking about the burger chain) can be used to illustrate modern day applications of Taylorism in the workplace
- Ritzer argues the fast-food chain’s labour processes are constructed around four key ideas:
- 1. efficiency – McDonald’s staff concentrate on one specialism when working. For example you’re the chip fryer, that’s all you do all-day
- 2. calculability – each processed item is the same size, weight etc and is processed within a set time
- 3. predictability – the McDonald’s environment is replicated across the world
- 4. control – Ritzer argues McDonald’s processes reduces staff behaviour to that of machines
- Fordism/Taylorism and McDonaldisation processes are often discussed through the umbrella term of the ‘deskilling thesis’
sociologytwynham.com 
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