Role Conflicts in Family Businesses

Students who are interested to learn more about the structural sources and implications of conflicts in family firms.

• Exploration of different origins of conflicts in family businesses with extended focus on role conflicts
• Underlying theoretical approaches
• Comparison with Non-Family Businesses
• Consequences of (role) conflict and practical implications

Managing a family business is about special problems and issues that confront family businesses. The MCIWebinar will explore different origins of conflicts in family businesses. In family businesses the two systems, family and company, which are usually strictly separated, are closely intertwined. Thus, the different logics are a source of many conflicts. The students will learn about the theoretical approaches to organizational conflicts in family businesses from the field of family business research as well as from an organizational perspective. Complementary, the participants will discuss the practical consequences and its implications

Thus, students will

• develop an understanding of structural implications stemming from the close intertwining of the two systems family and business as well as its potential for role conflicts
• explore different theoretical approaches
• discuss practical consequences