Final answer:
Standardization often leads to a discussion about bureaucracies in organizational designs. These structures are known for their predictability and efficiency, but can also be rigid and impersonal. The McDonaldization and the concept of McJobs highlight the effects of extreme efficiency and standardization in society and labor markets.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the context of explaining different types of organizational designs to students of basic management, focusing on the virtues and benefits of standardization typically promotes the concept of bureaucracies. Bureaucracies are characterized by a hierarchical structure, a high degree of formalization, and an emphasis on standardization and efficiency. Understanding formal organizations is crucial in this discussion, as they operate with established procedures and rules, and are often bureaucratized to some extent.
Major advantages of bureaucracies include predictability, consistency in service and performance, and the ability to operate at a large scale. Some disadvantages include rigidity, resistance to change, and the potential for dehumanization in the workplace. As for the impact of standardization, we explore the concept of McDonaldization of society, which points to the principles of fast-food restaurants dominating other sectors of society, contributing to the efficiency, predictability, calculability, and control through non-human technology.
McJobs, another concept relevant here, refers to low-paying, low-skill, and typically unsatisfying jobs often associated with the fast-food industry and similar bureaucratized organizations. All these factors are critical in understanding organizational structures and their impacts on employees and the broader market.