Modalities of opposition: Control and resistance via visual materiality

Abstract

This article examines how the material, and specifically visual, aspects of organizing contribute to understanding control and resistance issues in organizations. Whereas the role of visuality in workplace power relations has been acknowledged, the processes by which specific visual affordances contribute to power contests are not well understood. We argue that the diverse affordances of visual images offer opportunities for both control and resistance, where control is exerted via the normalizing and objectifying feature of visuality, while resistance draws on bricolage and juxtaposition to subvert dominant management discourses. Based on an ethnographic study of an industrial print company, we show how the diverse uses of visuality create a field for negotiating organizational tensions. We draw conclusions for the study of visual affordances as a tool for control and resistance struggles in organizations.