Passive Aggressive Resistance

In the book the acts that are described as subtle forms of resistance are in fact very passive aggressive. I think that this is very often a way that individuals cope with distress at work. I know that in the past there may have been a projects that I was working on that I hated but I personally would never do anything that would outright hurt the company, even when I disliked the company. Instead there were ways that I would show my distaste in subtle matters, acts that nobody but myself would ever really know about. The book calls it cathartic and that was definitely the case.

Fear as Power

On page 251 there is a list of the bases of powers. There is power because of the ability to reward, to punish, because of a position, given power, and through knowledge. I think I would add one more to this list power through fear. My old boss, which I have talk about many times, used fear for power. She would yell and scream to get her way, like a spoiled little brat. And in order to avoid the yelling match everyone would just do what she wanted and never question her decisions. She used this anger and fear to her benefit. This is similar to the power a dictator or terrorist uses. Often people follow these individuals because they are afraid of what would happen if they didn’t.