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In the earlier articles in this series
we have identified the vital importance of family businesses
to the UK econoi and looked at some of the characteristics
of people frequently encountered working within them. We also
recognised frequent sources of conflict - problems reconciling
the interests of the family and the business, and troubled
relationships that may especially be found between father
and son or between siblings.
Understanding the roots of these difficulties
is an important first step to solving them. So now we will
move on to look at an approach that can help turn the family
into a positive force in the business.
Managing conflict
Talking and listening must be the starting
point of any solution to people difficulties within any business,
but honest and open discussions of emotional problems do not
come easily. However, if it can be understood and accepted
that the issues are not exclusive to this family and these
individuals but involve rivalries that are widespread, then
it can be easier to pursue solutions.
So it helps if a son understands that
his father may have attitudes and concerns that are commonly
found in entrepreneurs, just as a father needs to accept his
son's wish to develop his own skills and responsibilities
as wi as his need for independence. And each should recognise
that if they press their own wishes too hard it is natur for
the other to become defensive and for anger and resentment
to build.
One answer that is sometimes possible
is for a son to be given his own area of responsibility -
he may be put in charge of a new venture or a division of
the business and given autonomy in running it. Whatever the
answer, reaching it is critical to the future of both the
family and the business and where a way forward cannot be
founc within the family it can often be helpful to involve
a third party to mediate.
Sibling relationships within a business
can benefit in the same way from all involved gaining an understanding
of the attitudes and feelings that can divide them. And it
helps if a clear business role can be developed for each.
Yet although it seems sensible to talk
through the problems and reach agreement on how to solve them,
experience suggests that this is an ideal that rarely happens.
In many situations families develop
defensive coping strategies that mean that sensitive issues
that may cause conflict are not discussed. Rather than risk
escalating the difficulties by giving them a good airing,
they may be left unresolved and this can lead to explosive
conflicts later that may be solved by one or more individuals
leaving or alternatively the business may simply continue
to be harmed as a result of the underlying tensions.
Creating a family business plan
There is one way forward that frequently
engenders open discussion about family and business issues.
This is to develop a business plan that takes account of the
needs and wishes of all family members involved. It is not
easy to build this for the first time, particularly where
there is no tradition of open discussion within the management
team.
We have found that a 'family retreat'
can be a positive way of starting off a plan - where the family
spend a day away from the office of home and discuss what
they each want for the business and set the basis of their
plan.
We will look at this process in the next
part of this series.
Go to
part four
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