Organizational Hierarcy and the Industrial Revolution

The section on the societal shift during the industrial revolution from people working mainly for themselves to working mainly for a large company really stuck me. Industrial Revolution (Ch. 3 Page 71)
The section went on to describe how today, the trend is starting to reverse itself with outsourcing, downsizing, etc. and people are once again venturing into self-employment. The industrial revolution shift (or cementing) of class structure which came from the subordination of individuals to the hierarchical factories and their top-down approach to management and communications has shaped our society and individual’s self-perceptions. It will be very interesting to see how this trend towards self employment will once again change the face of society.