Family Business Conflict Archives - The Solutionist Group

Cause #10 Behavioural Discord

Families are always “interesting”, due to dynamic interplays between the diverse personalities that make up the group – as manifested by their behaviours towards each other. Every family develops a unique behavioural style, which evolves as its members age and mature. Resilient families learn to tolerate and accommodate disruptive individual styles; others never learn how […]

Cause #9 Relationship Interplays

Family Business can have a “force multiplier” effect on family relationships, especially when interpersonal relationship issues present in the family, often built over many years of family interactions, are projected or absorbed into the business. Commercial environments provide all the nutrients required to turn historical/personal/domestic niggles into full-blown, competitive, adult conflicts. Weak, strong and/or distorted […]

Cause #8 Divorce & Separation

Australia 2019: 113,815 marriages registered; 49,116 divorces granted. We’re marrying later (32 for males, 30 for females), and more couples are living together for several years before marrying. Consequently, marriages are generally lasting longer, and divorce rates are trending downwards from their peak in the 1970s and 1980s (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2019). The bottom line […]

Succession Disputes – As if there weren’t enough challenges already

Succession is the process of generational transfer of ownership / leadership / management / employment from one generation to another. Standard wisdom is to make this a process, not an event, preferably over a period of years. Succession usually gains attention when there are reasonably valuable assets involved. And family personalities and relationships are often […]

Mediator – The Flexible, Skilled, Facilitative Dispute Resolver

Mediation is a fully facilitated, solution-oriented, constructive negotiation processes, managed by a skilled, neutral Mediator. It’s the most commonly used dispute resolution process in Australia, with many thousands of cases resolved each year. The Mediator’s goal is to guide the parties to a solution they have developed and agreed for themselves – one that addresses […]

Mediation Services – Fast, Efficient, Cost-Effective Dispute Resolution

Mediation is the most commonly used dispute resolution process in Australia, with many thousands of cases resolved each year. The process comes in many forms, so it’s important to understand what you’re getting into before signing up. Our Mediations are solution-oriented, constructive negotiation processes, facilitated by an expert, neutral Mediator. We guide parties to agreed […]

Mediation – Effective Dispute Resolution

Mediation is the most commonly used dispute resolution process in Australia, with many thousands of cases resolved each year. The process comes in many forms, from institutional to private, and from rigid to highly flexible. Individual mediation styles range from passive, to directive, to highly engaged. It’s important to clearly understand what you’re getting into […]

Family System Interventions – Delivering Advice and Conflict Resolution

Family System complexities play out, in their own sweet time, like a staged drama: Family systems constantly strive to achieve balance, or at least try to find their own natural level of comfort and stasis. The more enmeshed and engaged family members are in the family system, the more a weakness in one area of […]

Family Mediation – Constructive Dispute Resolution for Business Families

Family Mediation is the “go to” process for families when Family Law is used to facilitate matrimonial separation. The process can be anything from a highly formalised, institutional process to flexible private proceedings, tailored to the needs and styles of the parties themselves. In contrast, in the family business world family, mediation is much less […]

Family Disputes – Shout Out for a Different Style of Dispute Resolution

Families have been embroiled in disputes since the first cavemen’s sons “borrowed” their flints, and their daughters refused to wear hand-me-down skins. There’s nobody quite like a sibling for knowing how to press your buttons, and as for inter-generational tensions …… Family disputes have myriad causes. When limited to family members and family issues, family […]