The anticipation of conflicts as the root of a peaceful succession
The conflict in family businesses It is part of its essence. Although they are not verbalized, although they are not evident on a day-to-day basis, or are part of the agenda of meetings, they are in their DNA.
And we are not only talking about conflicts that may cause disagreements or ruptures that affect the progress of the company, but also those that fruit of family ties, distort relationships, generate mistrust or mistrust, which little by little undermine the smooth running of the family business.
The business family unconsciously transfers its domestic problems at the workplace. Anticipate them and create mechanisms to solve them It is essential for the survival of companies, which account for 88.9% of all Spanish companies, and generate 67.6% of employment in our country.
The generational change, the transfer of family roles to work, the latent disagreements caused by jealousy or insecurities, are just some of the causes of the conflicts in the family business.
Managing an asset, such as emotional and affective assets, within the complex framework of a company, where only the income statement matters, is not easy at all.
Challenge for business families
There are many challenges for the business family, which since it was born, apart from making the company viable, has the challenge of ensure your survival. Hence, these types of companies are more durable over time if they are able to cross that difficult Rubicon of the third generation, of which only one 12% survives.
For this, the business family, in a atmosphere of social peace, Essentially, you must become aware that you cannot let conflicts be resolved spontaneously, nor can they be resolved solely in the family environment. The foundations must be established with an agreement of broad consensus and great generosity.
For this, it is essential founder figure, and your ability to plan, hand in hand with your children and your spouse, a peaceful succession.
It is key development of a family protocol, which makes clear the roles of family members in the company, whether they work in it or not.
An agreement that regulates, among other things, the remuneration of members of the business family, access to management positions, the distribution of dividends, access for members of the next generation, as well as the necessary professionalization.
Measures to manage conflicts
But no less important than all these measures for the anticipation and prevention of conflicts are those that must be taken in the event that those conflicts arise.
Any decision that involves judicialization of conflicts, will mean not only the end of business peace, but what is more serious, the possibly irreparable breakdown of family peace.
It must be erected founder figure, or one of the older members, as an authentic natural mediator, who has innate gifts of enormous empathy, and is capable of anticipating conflicts by acting, with powers to do so, to resolve them. This mediation, which we will call management mediation, it is only possible if there is a member with those skills.
Mediation in the family business
The external professional mediation, is undoubtedly the ideal method for resolving conflicts in family businesses.
The only way when there is a disagreement and managerial mediation has no place, either because it is a conflict that affects all members and impartiality and neutrality, essential in any mediable process, is impossible, or because there is no member of the family with those skills.
The mediation In the family business it is the great opportunity for both the prevention and resolution of conflicts, and providing mechanisms to resort to it is an absolute necessity to guarantee its survival.
If you want to train in mediation and act as a mediator throughout the Spanish territory, you can do it with the master in mediation and multidisciplinary conflict management in EIM.
