McDonaldization

McDonaldization is a term invented by author George Ritzer in his book, The McDonaldization of Society. Ritzer argues that the McDonald's business model rationalizes, that is, breaks down a given task into its most fundamental parts then creating logical, consistent rules to find the most efficient method for completing each task. He argues that over-rationalization can lead to irrational outcomes. Ritzer argues that McDonalization's focus on efficiency, calculability, predictability, and control leads to irrationality, de-skilling, and "consumer workers" (that is, consumers doing part of the work usually done by the company, such as taking the trash to the receptacle).