When Work and Family Merge: Understanding Intragroup Conflict Experiences in Family Farm Businesses

Abstract

Family farms experience conflict in the everyday operation of the farm (Weigel & Weigel, 1990). However, family farm members rarely bring up conflicts to the other party; rather, they keep their frustration to themselves or wait until things boil over. Waters (2013) noted family farm members avoid bringing up any conflict or issues, with one son noting "basically, dad says we're doing this and I say okay" (Waters, 2013, p. 30). It is in this communicative environment that a business functions, attempting to remain profitable, while maintaining family bonds that are the foundation of the business itself. This project used intragroup conflict theory to explore the dynamics of everyday conflict in family farm businesses. Intragroup conflict theory presents four types of conflict (task, relational, process, and status) that influence group outcomes differently (Jehn, 1997). The first focus of this project was how these four conflict types influence three important outcomes for family farm members: job satisfaction, communication satisfaction, and profitability. Only status conflict significantly predicted all three outcomes variables for family farm members.Additionally, this project furthered intragroup conflict theory by exploring two potential antecedents for intragroup conflict: emotional intelligence (awareness of own and management of own) and family communication patterns (conversation orientation and conformity orientation). Conformity orientation significantly predicted task, process, and status conflict in the model. These findings were discussed in light of the previous theoretical work in family businesses, then in the family farm context specifically. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTSWorking on a dissertation is no easy task. I can promise there have been many tears and arguments with my computer (and myself) as I have completed this project. Though it is only my name on the title page, there are many people who all played a role in helping this project come to fruition and completion.First, I thank my family. Growing up on a farm surrounded by family (in good times and in bad times) inspired me to find ways to make communication better. I thank my parents who provided me with practical advice, contacts, and suggestions about the project as a whole. I also thank my sister Sarah, who listened to a lot of my struggles with this project and was always a cheerleader. Finally, though Grandpa Bob is not physically here to see the final product, his ideas, inspiration, and guidance are evident throughout. This project could not have happened without the help of my committee. First and foremost, I thank my adviser, Dr. Stephenson J. Beck, for his guidance and assistance throughout my doctoral work. The countless hours I spent in your office getting feedback, suggestions, life lectures, Royals highlights, insight, and advice have made me a better scholar, have made this a better project, and have made me a better person. I am deeply indebted to you for all your guidance, help, and encouragement. I also want to thank my committe...

Intrafamily Conflicts in Family Businesses: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Agenda for Future Research

“…Hoelscher (2014) and Paskewitz and Beck (2017) did not find evidence of the effects of relationship conflict on firm performance. Other studies confirmed the adverse effects of relationship conflict on performance (Eddleston & Kellermanns, 2007; Nosé et al, 2017), firm satisfaction (Nosé et al, 2017), and growth of employment and revenue (Ensley et al, 2007).…”

“…The family communication literature distinguishes two patterns (Sillars et al, 2014): a conformity orientation (emphasis on the homogeneity of attitudes, values, and beliefs) and a conversation orientation (open communication between family members). While higher conversation orientation seems to reduce all types of conflict, high conformity orientation may reduce cognitive conflict (Sciascia, Clinton et al, 2013) but ignite relationship conflict (Paskewitz & Beck, 2017).…”

“…Disagreements about a group member’s position in the group may thus have more long-term consequences. Paskewitz and Beck (2017) conducted the only study on status conflicts in FFs. Thus, we see the potential for future research that might refine our understanding of the essence of intrafamily conflicts.…”

Farmer Burnout in Canada

“…Industry support may serve as a critical resource to help offset farming demands. With respect to relationships at work, the line between work and personal lives is often blurred in farming; farmers often work where they live, work closely with family members, and farm-family conflicts are inherent in daily operations [32]. These realities may serve to increase cynicism scores in some farmers.…”

“…Resources correlated with depersonalization/cynicism are reported to include community bond, team cohesion, and skill utilization [28]. Hence, team building, creation of a climate that values all team members' input [32], and division of labour based on individuals' skills and strengths may be helpful.…”