Conflict Resolution

Today, effectiveness in most businesses depends, in part, upon how well everyone gets along with one another. Owners, family members, management, employees all share the same challenge-are we all going in the same direction, do we have enough clarity and communication of common goals and interests to keep us together, and do we have the interpersonal skills to resolve our differences. The facts are, most businesses are not prepared to deal with such matters. Increasingly diverse family needs and workforce needs, generational differences, heightened performance expectations, limited resources, and greater interaction among co-workers in transition situations will produce conflict and tension.

Conflict, if ignored or overlooked, may sabotage an ownership transition and/or staff's productivity and morale. When family members and/or key employees are visibly uncomfortable working together and work effectiveness diminishes, it is time to call in an expert that deals with these sorts of issues.

The goal of conflict resolution is to help owners, families, employees and teams work through their divergent priorities and discover solutions in a safe and productive manner. The process is designed to help clients create and implement practical tools, strategies and plans to resolve the existing conflict and have greater confidence and capability for future conflicts.

Symptoms to Look For

Business owners and/or management can't agree on important decisions
Communications, trust, respect are deteriorating
Company morale has diminished
Frequency of hostile outbursts on the rise
Major personality differences among key players in the business
Family dynamics are adversely impacting the business and the family
Increases in incidents of turnover, absenteeism, complaints, work falling through the cracks, no follow-up on decisions made, etc.

Services and Benefits Provided

Owner coaching on difficult relationships (family, management, board, community)
Personality, aptitude, and leadership profile assessments
Third-party mediation
Consensus-building with team members during transition
Employee opinion surveys
Family member interviews and survey assessments
Diverse training workshops
- Understanding the roles and responsibilities in a family business
- From conflict to collaboration
- Reducing stress and job burnout
- Managing difficult interpersonal relationships
- Improving business communications
- Anger management
- Building positive employee relations during transition
- Giving and receiving criticism