Managing Family-Related Conflicts in Family Businesses: A Review and Research Agenda

Abstract

This review examines how family businesses manage family-related conflicts that occur at three interfaces: family-business, family-ownership, and family-business-ownership. We find that work-family conflicts, conflicts of interest, and relationship conflicts are prevalent family-related conflicts. Four conflict management strategies are frequently used to deal with these conflicts: vacillation, domination, separation, and third-party intervention. The popularity of these strategies is influenced by some unique characteristics of family businesses, such as high emotional attachment among family members. By integrating insights from the broader conflict research, paradox and dialectic studies, we develop a research agenda targeted at better connecting family-related conflicts to conflict management strategies.

The Adulthood of Family Business Research Through Inbound and Outbound Theorizing

“…This Review Issue provides some important new insights in this regard. It points to the origins of such heterogeneity in terms of (1) the meaning that consumers prescribe to families and their brands (Andreini et al, 2020); (2) the dynamics of families shaping their firms' unique goals, processes, and behaviors (Combs et al, 2020); (3) the particular overlap between family, work, and ownership as a driver of family firm uniqueness (Michael-Tsabari et al, 2020); and (4) the approaches to manage common conflicts in family firms as drivers of family firm variation (Qiu & Freel, 2020). Understanding the extent to which durable differences exist across all firms, family business or not, may revolve around the extent to which there are systematic differences in family-related issues.…”

“…Complementing Combs et al (2020) and Michael-Tsabari et al (2020), Qiu and Freel (2020) also focus on business families by examining a key issue embedded in both family science theories and the work-family interface research-conflict. In their review titled "Managing Family-Related Conflicts in Family Businesses: A Review and Research Agenda," Qiu and Freel (2020) note that most of the 93 studies examined in their review address family-related conflict by examining the nature of conflict in the family (and firm) or by focusing on the strategies used to manage those conflicts. The authors note, however, that family-related conflict and conflict management strategies are two intricately coupled components that are best examined together if scholars and researchers are to completely understand the implications that conflict may have in family firms (whether positive or negative).…”

“…Moving to integrate these two components, Qiu and Freel (2020) initially synthesize the studies that have examined the antecedents, characteristics, and consequences of family-related conflict. Their review highlights the nuanced and complex nature of conflicts in family firms where a driver or antecedent of conflict in one context can become a mediator of conflict in another (e.g., senior generation involvement postsuccession may create conflict for new leaders but help avoid conflict before the later generation cedes control).…”

Fatores De Geração De Inovação Em Micro E Pequenas Empresas Familiares: Análise No Contexto De Um Munícipio De Pequeno Porte Do Rio Grande Do Sul

“…Contudo, afirma o autor, ainda há muitas questões que precisam ser revisadas nos estudos sobre empresas familiares. Entre outros, Neubaum et al (2019) e Alves e Gama (2020) apontam a sua heterogeneidade e a influência que a mudança na família produz na gestão e na sua performance, além do elevado apego emocional entre os membros da família (Qiu & Freel, 2020), as limitações operacionais e estratégicas na implementação de inovação disruptiva em diferentes fases do seu ciclo de vida.…”

“…Gersick et al (1997) consideram esse um momento crítico no ciclo de vida de empresas familiares em geral, em razão da eminência do ingresso dos membros da terceira geração, determinado pela ocorrência do maior índice de mortalidade empresarial. Os conflitos relacionados à família empresária (Qiu & Freel, 2020), os aspectos obscuros de alguns atributos da família nos negócios familiares (Combs & Shanine, 2020) e a influência da família na performance da empresa (Alves & Gama, 2020) indicam que o momento exige do gestor a realização de ações inovativas com maior grau de risco.…”