50 Common Causes of Family Business Conflict and how to deal with them.   Family Business Mediation Video No 50.  Cuckoo Consultants.    By Jon Kenfield. Family Business Mediator. Solutionist.   • This video is unique amongst the 50 in this series in that it looks to an entirely external conflict generator that can act upon the family - as opposed to the other 49 causes, where the family does its own great job of creating its very own conflict.   • Cuckoo consultants come into family business environments, usually from a business background, sporting business-base ..read more

50 Common Causes of Family Business Conflict and how to deal with them.   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, an ..read more

50 Common Causes of Family Business Conflict ... and how to deal with them.   Family Business Mediation Video 48. Old Retainers.    By Jon Kenfield. Family Business Mediator.   • Old retainers area a common cause of conflict in family businesses where Mum or Dad has worked with “old Phyllis / Sam” since the early days and has made promises that “we’ll always look after you”. The new business leaders are being made to feel obliged to honour these promises.   • Problems:   o The old retainers are no longer adding much value to the business and,   o They’re ..read more

50 Common Causes of Family Business Conflict ... and how to deal with them.   Family Business Mediation Video No 47. Emotional Trauma.    By Jon Kenfield. Solutionist & Family Business Mediator.   •  Psychology is the science of understanding how people think, feel, behave and learn.   • I’m not a psychologist - other than at the “chicken soup” end of the scale - however, more than 20 years spent working with denizens of business families provides many opportunities to observe how people do actually think, feel, behave and learn - and the consequences for them ..read more

50 Common Causes of Family Business Conflict ... and how to deal with them.   Family Business Mediation Audio No 46:  Ethnic Issues & Cultural Norms.    By Jon Kenfield - Solutionist and Family Business Mediator.   • When a family’s culture is strong, it can exert powerful influences on personal expectations and behaviours - both in the family and in its business activities.   • Most ethnic cultures are based on historic traditions which, by definition, are anchored by the past: from another time, another place, and usually very different circumstances.   ..read more

50 Common Causes of Family Business Conflict ... and how to deal with them.   Family Business Mediation Video 45  Lack of Talent in the Family.   • Business founders are often driven individuals.  They may be motivated by creative drive, frustration in another job, identified opportunity, need to work, obligation to provide work for family members, or many other possibilities.     • Following generations are usually less driven, mainly because they have a less desperate need to make a business in the first place.   • As businesses grow and evolve, their ..read more

50 Common Causes of Family Business Conflict ... and how to deal with them Audio No 32: Business Succession & Continuity. • This is the big one for conflict! Business leadership succession, and a perceived transfer of associated family leadership, can be enormously confronting, especially to leaders and driven entrepreneurs. • The outgoing leader has reservations about stepping aside, while the incoming successor is in a hurry to take over. • Succession should be a process over a long time, rather than an event. Tensions can rise. • Outgoing leaders require financial security and relea ..read more

50 Common Causes of Family Business Conflict ... and how to deal with them Audio No 44. Retirement & Other Exits • Generational transition - “Succession” - is THE major cause of conflict in business families. It always has been, and it’s on the rise as baby boomers retire in increasing numbers. • “Retirement” means “to put out of use” and it’s a terrifying prospect, highly or formerly active individuals, especially competitive business people. • Retirement needs to be a process, not an event, planned, managed and implemented over time. • The tension between up and coming employees, ne ..read more

50 Common Causes of Family Business Conflict ... and how to deal with them Audio No 43. Poor Business Performance. • Business performance, or more likely lack of, is a common cause of conflict. • Some family members employed in the business may be underperforming, or sabotaging the efforts of siblings, resulting in poor business performance. • Another cause of conflict is when employed family members continue to draw salaries, while non-working family members receive no benefits when profits are low. • Suspicions can flare amongst passive shareholders that the books are being manipulated ..read more

50 Common Causes of Family Business Conflict ... and how to deal with them Audio No 42. Family Values. • Values are what drive us to do what we do, the way we do it. • Family values are the values honoured and shared by a family, and taken into their business. • Even highly conflicted families usually agree on most of their important values. This often helps to re-humanise everyone in family mediations - they’re actually all about the same things. • When values are in conflict people are in conflict. It means they’re not on the same page, and are unlikely to get there if the differences a ..read more