In The Weberian Theory of Rationalization and the McDonaldization of Contemporary Society, George Ritzer examines Weber’s four types of rationality (practical, theoretical, substantive, and formal) and the five dimensions of formal rationality. Ritzer’s main vehicle for his examination of Weberian theory is his concept of McDonaldization which, he says, is the modern day equivalent of Weber’s concept of bureaucracy. Through Ritzer’s application, however, we find that Weber’s theory of rationalization does not apply strictly to bureaucracy or fast-food empires; it can also be applied to many other institutions in society. This paper will focus on the application of Weberian theory as it relates to the institution of the modern-day college or university; more specifically, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Prior to applying Weber’s five dimensions of formal rationality to the institution of the university, it would be beneficial to define Weber’s four types of rationality and discuss Weber’s concept of the “iron cage of rationality”.
The first of Weber’s four types of rationality is practical rationality. Practical rationality “is to be found in people’s mundane, day-to-day activities and reflects their worldly interests.” (Ritzer, 39) According to Weber it is the “‘methodical attainment of a definitely given and practical end by means of an increasingly precise calculation of adequate means.'” (Ritzer, 39) What this means is that practical rationality is what individuals use to complete daily routines and tasks. It allows them to choose methodically from a variety of preconceived means to achieve a particular end. Practical rationality allows us to take action in smaller, mundane tasks so that we can get through the day.
Substantive rationality, the third of Weber’s types, can be seen as somewhat of an amalgamation of practical and theoretical rationality as “substantive rationality involves a choice of means to ends guided by some larger system of human values.” (Ritzer, 39) Substantive rationality is similar to practical rationality in that it involves choosing a means to an end and acting upon that decision, however, the decision of just which mean to act upon is more theoretical in nature because it involves conceptualizing and understanding some system of values. Substantive rationality is what enables individuals to make choices between right and wrong, based on their larger system of social values. It also enables individuals to determine which actions may be considered socially acceptable and which may not.
Weber’s fourth type of rationality is formal rationality. This type of rationality is very similar to substantive rationality; however, in formal rationality an individual’s choices are made based on “universally applied rules, regulations, and laws” rather than on a society’s value system. (Ritzer, 39) Formal rationality also differs from substantive rationality in that it dehumanizes the individual by giving them little flexibility in what decisions they can make. As Ritzer states: “under formal rationality, we are not left to our own devices, but rather we use existing rules, regulations, and structures that either predetermine the optimum methods or help us discover them.” (Ritzer, 39)
Formal rationality paved the way for institutionalized structures like bureaucracy which ultimately have lead to what Weber called the “iron cage of rationality”. What Weber meant by this was that, while bureaucratic systems were intended to make the individual’s life easier, they have become so entrenched and so immovable and inflexible that the individual is trapped and controlled by them. It was Weber’s fear that the “iron cage of rationality” would become so strong and so prevalent that “Society would become nothing more than a seamless web of rationalized structures.” To better understand the ways in which formal rationality creates an ‘iron cage’, it would be helpful to examine the five dimensions of formal rationality defined by Weber and expounded upon by Ritzer.
The first of the five dimensions is efficiency. Simply put, efficiency is defined as the fastest route from one point to another. In terms of rationality, efficiency is “the choice of the optimum means to an end” (Ritzer, 44) and in formally rational society or McDonaldized society, this means that a given institution will try and make their processes as fast and labor-free as possible. There are many ways in which we can see efficiency being applied to Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). For example, student registration for classes is conducted almost exclusively online, reducing the need for employees to man the registration office and handle registration paperwork. We also see efficiency in the automation of student records access and payment of tuition and fees. At almost any time of day, a student can act as a file clerk in the records and registration department by accessing their transcripts, their current semester’s class, schedule and even their student bill.
Calculability is the second dimension of formal rationality. It involves things that are “calculated, counted, and quantified.” (Ritzer, 46) As such, calculability is concerned primarily with the quantity of something rather than the quality of it. At VCU we can see calculability in the administration’s focus on the number of students enrolled at the school and in individual classes. In general, a higher number of matriculating freshmen is seen as a good thing; however there is no accounting made for the number of instructors available to teach classes for the ever increasing numbers of students coming into the school. Thus, the quantity of individuals seeking education at VCU is important, but the quality of the education they receive may be seen as less important.
Predictability, the third dimension, is concerned with consistency from one time and place to another. As Ritzer states; “In a rational society, people want to know what to expect in all settings at all times. They neither want nor expect surprises.” (Ritzer, 47) At VCU, predictability is offered in the form of classes that are offered either every semester or every other semester, allowing students to plan far in advance of when they register for the course. We also see predictability in the faculty of various majors. Once a student has chosen a specific major, that student can be reasonably assured that they will have only a handful of different instructors for the rest of their college career. This makes the educational experience predictable even though the subject matter of individual classes may change.
Control through substituting nonhuman technology for human judgment is the fourth dimension of formal rationality. The basic idea of this dimension is that technology replaces human beings, and then controls those human beings who use it by limiting the choices they can make or the actions they can take. The prime example of this concept at VCU is the online system VCU uses for student course registration. This automated system automatically determines a student’s eligibility for a particular class and prevents the student from registering for a class if they are not eligible. The system also detects scheduling conflicts between courses for which a student attempts to register and prevents students from scheduling classes that overlap. They system even keeps track of the total number of credit hours that a student is attempting to register for and prevents them from ‘overloading’ on credit hours. Another instance of replacing humans with technology can be found in the school cafeteria where students simply swipe their student IDs to pay for meals which negates the need for a cashier to keep an accounting of who is using their meal plan and when. The final dimension of formal rationality is what creates Weber’s ‘iron cage’; the irrationality of rationality. By this Weber meant that “rational systems inevitably spawn a series of irrationalities that serve to limit, ultimately compromise, and perhaps even defeat, their rationality.” (Ritzer, 52) This means that, eventually, the efficiency, predictability, and technology that we have come to rely on in formally rational society will become road blocks that we can no longer circumvent. We can see examples of this at VCU by returning to the most recently mentioned example of online class registration. The online system that VCU uses does have quite a few benefits; however there are also several drawbacks. For instance, when the system is preventing students from registering for overlapping classes, it does not take into account any special dispensation that student might have from the instructors of those courses. Likewise, when the system detects a class as being full, it does not take into account the motives and needs the students who have already registered for the course or the students who are attempting to register for the course. This leads to situations where students who are taking the course as’filler’ or just for fun may prevent students from getting into a class that is required by their major. In these situations, human judgment can correct the problems, but formal rationality does not allow for it.
