Family Business Mediation Video No 49. Non – Family Conflict Causes. By Jon Kenfield. Solutionist.
- Can non-family people create conflicts within the family business? You bet!
- Family Business are notorious for creating cliques (read your Shakespeare!): supporters for Mum vs Dad; for siblings against other siblings; for one generation against another; and for getting all family out of the business – so it can be run properly!
- Motivations may be pure, or not, and may be driven by the best interests of the business, or not. It depends.
- Most employees and advisers have their loyalties tested when family businesses reach certain tipping points, and something major has to happen. Employees, at all levels, are obliged to consider their own, and their families’ situations and futures, while advisers can be conflicted into supporting the person who pays their bills. Is that now, or longer term? Who knows?
Solution
- To prevent individuals getting behind family members and creating / broadening conflict, the family needs to be able to present a united front about where things are going, and with whom. This requires a Plan.
- The Plan needs to reassure everyone that the family’s focus is on the future of the business, not on who may lead the business.
- The family also needs to make clear to everyone that it doesn’t welcome partisan support for individuals against others.