Special Issue: Sibling Rivalry

June 26, 2023 - Issue #92

'Succession' Hits Close to Home at Family Firms A family business advisor finds more than a few similarities between the HBO hit and real families. This issue shows how to minimize the rancor.

Advice for Untangling Conflict in a Family Business Janme Sinha of Boston Consulting Group talks about how soft emotional issues and hard business issues can tear families apart.

How Family Dynamics Shape Family Businesses Want your family business to run more smoothly? Examine your own relationships with parents, siblings and other relatives -- and talk to one another often.

How Family Firms Can Prevent (or Cool Down) Sibling Rivalries Koch Industries, McCain Foods and Robert Mondavi were all roiled by sibling battles. These three strategies will help you prevent it.

Future Family Business Owners Can Learn to Manage Conflict This classroom exercise dissects the five approaches to managing disputes, and their likely outcomes.

Playing the Succession Game to Ensure Family Business Continuity Game theory provides a mathematical way to look at sibling competition and its emotional costs -- and suggests insights for achieving the best outcome.

Lessons From the Perdue and Sheraton Families on Getting Along Mitzi Perdue, author of a book about family businesses and widow of Frank and daughter of a Sheraton Hotels founder, shares lessons about family harmony.

How to Fix Succession Conflicts Stemming From Complicated Families Warring ex-spouses, far-flung families...Part 2 of our two-part series looks at how to fix succession challenges that are already underway.

What Families in Conflict Can Learn from Baseball and Teachers Using a hybrid of mediation and arbitration offers a real chance to preserve family relationships during a difficult period of conflict.

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How All Kinds of Businesses Can Use AI Productively

Female Advisors Can Help Family Businesses

The Making of Successful Female Family-Enterprise Leaders

Family History Can be Re-Framed to Encourage Harmony and Progress

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Recent

Include the Extended Family in Your Ownership Strategy

by Claudia Binz Astrachan and Tom Rüsen / Practice Insight

Your "owners' strategy" should consider that in future generations the family firm will likely have many more owners. Take a broader focus when you develop it. Read more...

How Boards Help Complex Family Firms Make Sound Decisions

by Kimberly Eddleston / Interviews

Fiduciary boards keep family firms focused on the long term, rather than on short-term, tactical strategies. But many family firms resist having one, fearful of losing control of their enterprise. Read more...

How Family Firms Can Identify and Preserve Their Legacy

by Miruna Radu-Lefebvre, Jim Davis, and William Gartner / Research Insight

Many family firms are not fully sure of their legacy and how to communicate it to others. Research suggests ways to get a better handle on it. Read more...

'Yellowstone' Mirrors Real-Life Family Business Dramas

by Robin Burns and Ana Gonzalez / Practice Insight

Like many family business leaders, John Dutton struggles to uphold longstanding traditions while external competitive pressures mount and next-gens clamor for change. Read more...

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How to Plan for a Successful Succession

by Richard Eisenberg

Retirement Options and their Consequences for Small Business Owners

by Valeria Alterman and Ariane Froidevaux

Family History Can Be Repurposed to Serve Today's Challenges

by Christina Lubinski and William Gartner

How to Run a Family Business Successfully

by Kerry Hannon

'Performance-Enhancing Vices': Good for Business, Bad for Relationships

by Kimberly Eddleston and David Werdiger

The Biggest Mistakes Family Businesses Make With Their Boards