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Conflicts within the owner circle - or rather, within the "family of the family business" - are often the main cause of existential crises for family businesses. The damaging effects of unchecked family conflicts affect two social systems: the family business and the business family itself. The impairment of the survival capability of the family business goes hand in hand with the reduced chance of constructive follow-up communication between family members. Once caught up in conflict communication, it is extremely difficult for business families to get out of it without the help of external knowledge. It is therefore surprising that the topic of conflict prevention in business families has so far been given relatively little attention.
Against this background, this book takes a closer look at the topic of "Conflicts in the Business Family" and deals with a number of topics that are essential to understanding the subject: the specific challenges and conflicts that business families typically face, as well as practically proven methods of conflict resolution at different levels. The content is based on the experiences that the two authors have gained in a variety of research projects, conflict moderation, and family strategic consulting projects over the past 18 years. The key findings from this wealth of experience are now made available to the general public.
List of contents
1. Introduction: The need for family governance.- 2. An 'impossible' connection.- 3. Typical conflict courses and mechanisms.- 4. Dealing with conflicts on the individual level: Unfollow the prescribed patterns.- 5. Dealing with conflicts on the collective level: Family strategy and more.- 6. Wrap-up: 18 Key phrases.
About the author
Prof. Arist von Schlippe holds the Chair in Leadership and Dynamics in Family Business at the Witten Institute for Family Business within the Faculty of Management and Economics of Witten/Herdecke University (Germany). He has a PhD and postdoctoral lecture qualification in clinical psychology and is an expert in family therapy and family psychology. His research focuses on the business family, including areas such as strategy, governance, and conflict resolution.
Prof. Tom A. Rüsen is an honorary professor at Witten/Herdecke University (Germany), where he manages the Witten Institute for Family Business and heads the non-profit WIFU Foundation. His primary research focus is on conflict and crisis dynamics in business families. As a practitioner, he guides situations involving succession, conflict, and crisis and develops family strategies. In both 2020 and 2022, he was recognized by Family Capital as one of the world's top 100 family influencers in the "Academics" category.
