2.1 Resistance through distance

Figure 7 Resisting sometimes involves creating a boundary between oneself and the dominant power

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The image depicts a person in dark clothing surrounded by white boxes that are stacked up around them.

Figure 7 Resisting sometimes involves creating a boundary between oneself and the dominant power

First, David Collinson identified ‘resistance through distance’. In this kind of resistance ‘employees are primarily concerned to differentiate themselves psychologically, culturally and spatially from the organisation and from those in power’ (Gagnon and Collinson, 2017, p. 1271). Note here how the resistance defines itself according to the power it opposes. It acts as a way for people to give themselves space to recover and recuperate from what they feel are the injustices or indignities of work. This resistance can appear anywhere in the Four Is identified by Mumby et al. (2017) – it can be individual, collective, hidden or public. Resisters create boundaries between themselves and dominant power. The boundaries can be collective and cultural, with resisters crafting their own social circles and activities that exclude anyone perceived as with ‘them’. Collectively, groups can also develop a distinctive sense of humour, which targets figures in positions of power, making them seem smaller and less powerful.

An advantage of this kind of necessarily exclusionary resistance is that it enables resisting groups to develop a strong identity and perhaps also loyalty. It can also help in developing solidarity that can transition to forms of resistance capable of damaging the dominant power. However, the conclusion of Collinson’s study is that resistance through difference can be both counter-productive and alienating. It can be counter-productive because those in power are not affected too much by it. In some cases resistance through difference can even strengthen the status quo. First, because those in power have more freedom to make decisions without the input of those who oppose them. Second, because people in power can show that they are tolerant and human – people who can take a joke and who are relaxed about distinct cultures emerging within an organisation. This kind of resistance can be alienating because many people can feel that they are not represented by the cultural norms exemplified by groups founded on ‘distance’. In Collinson’s study, the resisting group was archetypally male (and white), meaning that those who did not fit such an identity would have struggled to identify with the resisters.