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.
Research still can’t clearly explain when they deliver real value. A review shows what we know, what we don’t, and how families can close the needs-to-services gap. Read more...
Vision matters—but so does individualized consideration. This study shows nonfamily managers perform better when CEOs pair transformational leadership with genuine, personalized attention and political skill. Read more...
Successors recommit when roles align with their values, skills, and life stage—and when family dynamics allow earlier experiences to be reinterpreted. Read more...
Family firms don’t have goals—people do. The rise and fall of Italy's Florio dynasty shows how successor motivation shapes the balance between growth, legacy, and community—and how families can build more durable, values-led leadership. Read more...
Editorial offices located at St Thomas University
Supported by the Richard M Schulze Family Foundation