McDonalds as a powerful social model and dynamic theory

What is it about?

McDonalds is a continuous social experiment that tests and improves its real-time model of how to achieve specific outcomes. Unwrapping the McDonald's model shows many layers of knowledge embedded in it, including stories, symbols, tacit knowledge, operational templates, and physical infrastructure, all of which contribute to its outcomes. The McDonald's model is replicated and copied across the world to achieve similar outcomes everywhere. McDonald's illustrates the case for seeing all institutions as living experiments, tested in reality, and 'dynamic social theories', the social science equivalent of theories in the natural sciences. This has many lessons for ways in which academic social scientists can help citizens, practitioners and policy-makers to solve social problems better and create societies that work better for everyone. A more engaged model of social science could transform the world, and improve the role, funding and status of social science. Far from being an argument for McDonaldization, this argument means learning from other models such as cooperatives, Buurtzorg in the Netherlands, Toyota, and many others.

Featured Image

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Photo by Clay Banks on Unsplash

Why is it important?

This challenges the McDonaldization thesis, one of the most popular sociology concepts, arguing that it is a disempowering and limiting view of the ability of social science to make a difference by drawing attention to many other models of social organisation and methods of social improvement. 'Dynamic social theory' offers a new paradigm for social science and a unifying framework for social research, based on treating ALL institutions and patterns of behaviour as rough and ready social experiments, tested in reality. By embedding social research methods into social organisations, professional social scientists can enhance people's ability to achieve better social outcomes. Treating institutions and patterns of behaviour as dynamic theories also means that professional social scientists need to become more engaged in society and help people achieve better social outcomes.

Perspectives

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This is the first peer-reviewed publication of 'dynamic social theory' and the case for seeing institutions as the social science equivalent of theories in the natural sciences. This hypothesis is developed in 'Social Models as Dynamic Theories How to Increase the Impact of Social and Political Sciences' in Frontiers in Political Science, Sec. Peace and Democracy, Volume 6 - 2024, DOI: 10.3389/fpos.2024.1443388 The SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS include a “Manifesto for Social Science” with ten areas for action arising from this hypothesis. For a pre-publication draft, use this sharable link: https://bit.ly/SocialModelv8

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