balkiness

noun

1. (uncountable)The state or quality of being balky or uncooperative.

   “[…] he was mildly annoyed to find that the chair shifted itself—remote control over objects was a labor-saver and probably a money-saver […] and obviously to be preferred to the blind balkiness of mechanical gadgets. Nevertheless Jubal was not used to telecontrol done without wires or waves […]”