ABSTRACT
To insure that all McDonald's restaurants in the United States serve products of uniform quality, the company uses centralized planning, centrally designed training programs, centrally approved and supervised suppliers, automated machinery and other specially designed equipment, meticulous specification, and systematic inspections. Most McDonald's work is organized as low-paying, low-status, part-time jobs that give workers little autonomy. McDonald's had routinized the work of its crews so thoroughly that decision making had practically been eliminated from the jobs. Computerized cash registers performed a variety of functions handled elsewhere by human waitresses, waiters, and cashiers, making some kinds of skill and knowledge unnecessary. A variety of factors, many orchestrated by the corporation, keeps McDonald's crew people hard at work despite the limited rewards. Socialization into McDonald's norms, extremely close supervision, individual and group incentives, peer pressure, and pressure from customers all play their part in getting workers to do things the McDonald's way.
