Keeping the peace
Families in business should ensure they, like the pirates, have a way of dealing with disputes. The last thing you want is for an issue to remain unresolved and certain family members to start soliciting others to be on their side—before you know it, everyone is involved!
In a previous article for Jewellery Business, I indicated a dispute resolution process (DRP) should provide a forum in which family members can work to resolve conflict related to the family business. Left unattended, family conflict will negatively impact relationships and, in turn, the business itself.
The terms of reference for this dispute resolution process should be outlined. Important aspects of the DRP could include the following points:
- The owners will establish a dispute resolution process to address conflict that does, will, or can negatively impact the business. One of the owners (or a trusted advisor) will chair the process.
- The owners will encourage and support the use of the dispute resolution process as the vehicle to deal with family business-related conflict. The chair will manage the process through which the conflict is to be resolved. In other words, she or he will schedule a meeting with the appropriate players, then conduct the meeting with the objective of facilitating discussions and finding a resolution to the issue.
- The chair will consider using internal trusted advisors or an outside facilitator (e.g. an expert in family business) to assist in dealing with the conflict.
- The chair will inform all family members of the existence of the conflict management process and how it operates.
The most important consideration in setting up a DRP is ensuring the chair is trusted by all. If this is not the case, then family members will not use the process. It is important to ensure the person chosen is considered impartial. As mentioned above, he or she can also seek help from a facilitator to solve disputes.
The chair can also be different depending on the topic of the dispute. For example, if it’s business-related, the chair could be a senior owner or CEO, while conflict related to the succession plan could be settled by the family business practitioner who helped put it together.
Ensuring proper conduct
As mentioned, the pirates’ rules also describe certain inappropriate behaviours and the related punishments. Similarly, many families in business now implement a sibling or cousin code of conduct that outlines desired behaviours in the workplace.
A code of conduct could include the following expectations:
- All family members will perform their roles and responsibilities properly, and if not, they will be let go.
- Family members are to speak to one another with respect and use proper names when addressing family (i.e. not calling your mother “Mom,” but by her name).
- Personal issues amongst family members should be left at home and dealt with outside of the business and business hours.
- Family members are not to interrupt one another in meetings.
- Family members must always strive to be punctual, polite, and humble.
A family business that has a clear process for dealing with disputes, as well as a code of conduct, has a much higher likelihood of maintaining family harmony and overall business success.
Full steam ahead
The fifth and final part of this series covers governance. Without a clear leader and chain of command, any ship would be a disaster! The same can be said for your family business.
Danielle Walsh is founder of Walsh Family Business Advisory Services, a consulting company specializing in helping family-owned and operated businesses navigate the rough waters of management and ownership succession. She is a certified public accountant (CPA), chartered accountant (CA), and holds certificates in family business advising and family wealth advising from the Family Firm Institute (FFI). Walsh is also president of the Ottawa chapter of the Family Enterprise Exchange. She developed her philosophy and desire to help family businesses from her father, Grant Walsh, who has worked as a family business practitioner for the last 25 years. Walsh also currently teaches the first family business course offered at the undergraduate level at Carleton University in Ottawa. She can be reached via e-mail at danielle@walshfbas.com.
