How To Deal With Copreneurial Conflict

Indeed, the paradoxical nature of the couple’s emotional relationship and the intense atmosphere of the copreneurial working relationship create perfect conditions for conflicts. However, family business consultants, who are usually brought into the family firm by conflict, can learn a great deal from these conflict situations. Moreover, family business consultants should understand and appreciate that there are both simple and complex conflicts, and that they need to be skilled in the use of the tools available to them in dealing with both simple and complex conflict problems.

Learning from Conflict

Conflict is a normal healthy reaction to change and stress and the important issue for copreneurs is to learn how to resolve to conflict. Numerous conflict situations surround couples and these include: separating work and personal lives; balancing work and family lives; accepting and dealing cooperatively with differences in personal styles (these would involve time, chores, tasks, money, work); and an ability to resolve conflicts creatively. Conflict arises during periods of transition, changes in the family (i.e., illness, birth, death, milestones), and during times of rapid (or no) growth in the business. Unresolved conflicts in copreneurial relationships have an impact on both the functioning of the family and the business.

It should be recognized that conflict serves several important functions in human relationships. If they are resolved, conflicts assist in building self-confidence, increases intimacy, creates stronger bonds, regulates distance between couples, and provides a value check. The family business consultant, who might have been brought in after a conflict situation, is usually provided with important information about the couple and family. The consultant will no doubt recognize that conflicts between copreneurs also get played out in the business structure and broader family relationships.

Simple and Complex Conflict

Simple conflict presents itself as a difference of opinion that is conducted in the “present”. The language is literal, not symbolic of an older fight, and the conflict is not maintained by a larger problem in either the family or work system. In contrast, complex conflict is conducted in the “past”, that is, disagreements tend to slip into the past and they invariably go over old ground. The language is symbolic of a deeper unresolved conflict and is maintained by personal attacks and a spirit of competition, not cooperation.

Conclusion

A family business consultant, who is usually called into the family firm by conflicts either between or within the family or work systems, must be able to appreciate the information embedded in conflict. The consultant needs to understand the meaning of conflict in a copreneurial relationship and needs to recognize the difference between simple and complex conflict. The copreneurial relationship creates perfect conditions for both types of conflicts. Each type requires a special emphasis, with simple conflicts responding to content-type interventions and complex conflicts requiring process-type interventions.



This article has been extracted and modified from Hilburt-Davis, J. (1994). All’s not fair in love and war: Recycling conflict creatively in copreneurs. Proceedings of the 1994 Family Firm Institute Conference, October 5-8, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA.

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