Product Description

many of the world's greatest businesses are family owned - but with this comes the threat of family feuding, sibling rivalries and petty jealousies. family wars takes you behind the scenes on a rollercoaster ride through the ups and downs of some of the biggest family-run companies in the world - and shows how family in-fighting has threatened to bring about their downfall.

covering families such as ford, gucci, mccain, guinness, gallo, redstone and many more, family wars is an astonishing exposé of the way families do business and how family arguments and in-fighting can threaten to blow a business apart. whether it's brent redstone's courtcase with his father and sister and his accusation of them "misappropriating millions of dollars", or the family feud over henry ford's $350 million trust fund, the book reveals the origins, the extent and finally the resolution of some of the most famous family feuds in recent history.

more than telling the stories behind some of these dramatic showdowns, family wars also provides valuable advice and insight for anyone involved with a family-run business. with insight into issues such as board-room power-struggles, family inheritance or the rights to use the family name, the book offers practical suggestions on how similar problems can be contained and solved, avoiding the disastrous consequences of family feuding.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #125219 in Books
• Published on: 2008-03-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 288 pages

Reference - Research Book News, 2008
"A text for people who are involved with family firms - ..and for general readers with an interest in the topic."

Review

'the virtue of family wars is that it entertains through schadenfreude.'

financial times, 28 february 2008

'the authors elucidate some of the most lurid business feuds of the 20th century and their (usually) sorry aftermath. the stories are fascinating.'

the observer, 13 april 2008

'rather than throwing up their hands in despair, the authors have come up with some principles for - if not avoiding - dealing with conflict when it arises.'

the independent, 6 may 2008

'gordon and nicholson expertly name and number the problems unique to family-run business, but more than just labelling, they offer insight and possible solutions. family wars is the best attempt yet to create a guidebook to prevent the hammer from falling too heavily on family business.'

business-book-summaries.com, spring 2008

'the book quickly proves to be a page-turner as the stories are related with compelling detail and expert analysis by authors grant gordon and nigel nicholson.'

belfast news letter group, 25 march 2008

'better than any soap, sadly revealing of the flaws of the human condition, the authors have told the stories of twenty-four family businesses and close with lessons learned, warning signs and risk factors to be aware of and advice as to how businesses should respond to them.'

'fascinating insights fill these cautionary tales.'

refresh, march 2008

'highly relevant to anyone involved in business, family or otherwise.'

“i strongly recommend this book.”

edge, may 2008

'a text for people who are involved with family firms – […] and for general readers with an interest in the topic.'

reference – research book news, 2008

'a fascinating and thought provoking insight into some of the largest family run businesses in the world.'

business adviser, spring 2008

'if you thought greek drama riveting, if shakespeare’s tragedies kept you in thrall, if you were under the spell of soaps such as dynasty, then read family wars! it tells the stories of many family businesses – and the feuds, which almost (if not completely) engulfed their respective organisations.'

manager, april 2008

“explores the worst horrors of family business feuds.”

'the authors […] promote humility and self-control as the key to longevity in business.'

city a.m., 18 march 2008

'in family wars, authors nigel nicholson and grant gordon look at the sources of conflict and how to avoid them.'

wgsn.com, april 2008

“traces the ups and downs of family-run companies.”

books quarterly (waterstones), may 2008

Books Quarterly, Issue 28, 2008
"From Ford to Guinness and Gucci to Gallo, this book traces the ups and downs of family-run companies and looks for the business lessons to be learnt."

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Customer Reviews

"Family Wars" - An indispensable treatise for one and all...
An old business adage that runs in the family business parlance puts it rather simply, "The first generation starts, the second builds and the third sells." But in the true purview of realism, do all family businesses rest on the same gritty axiom? Are families really bound taut in `intimate, dynamic, honest and loyal' strands of inter-personal business? Moreover, does the presence of conflict within family businesses itself mean failure? These are some of those integral questions that this compelling read shall endeavour to answer.

A comprehensive discourse on conflict within family business, `Family Wars' dwells on those inequalities and flaws that keep families from embarking onto shared entrepreneurship, yet resonantly discussing the indispensability of family firms in the economy.

`Family Wars' runs you through a set of melodramatic and enthralling case studies (over 20 in number), which splits family conflict into different categories highlighting the stringent irony of blood-ties. Some of the themes interwoven are the `father- son conflict' (Gallo wine family saga), `sibling rivalry' (Ambani family),`the insularity trap' (Guinness story) and Schism (Pritzker empire saga) to name a few. Certain issues, which arise between generations like overpowering personalities and nepotism, are also explored.

As an intriguing illustration, the theme of `Parental Oppression' is presented through the Ford Family case (Chapter 5), which depicts an obsessive personality in the form of a narcissistic leader, Henry Ford who focussed exclusively on himself, lacked empathy and totally neglected `succession management' in his organisation to the extent that after the untimely death of his son, he was dethroned by his daughter- in- law leaving a trail of psychological debris. The reader is led to believe that leadership and personality are closely intertwined. They make greatness but at the same time also embody flaws that need to be dealt with.

The contents in the book seem to blend with one strand that remains uniquely present in the fabric of the family and its firm - personality. An informative discussion on personality and its building blocks is followed by the citation of the `paradox of inherited personality'. We are led to understand that 50 percent of our character is significantly heritable (from our genes) and the rest comes from our life experiences. The reader is guided to conclude that `entrepreneurs do not breed entrepreneurs' except by the luck of the `gene lottery'.

`Family Wars' is authored by Nigel Nicholson and Grant Gordon, the first being an eminent professor of organisational behaviour and psychology at the London Business School and author of the critically approbated `Managing the Human Animal' and the latter, director general of the UK's Institute for Family Business. The book makes for a mould of some robust research and the pragmatic perspectives of an acclaimed academic and a fifth generation member of a reputed Scottish family business.

The book concludes with a set of some useful and pertinent recommendations on delving deeper into the insights of human nature, management and family dynamics. Further, guidelines on how firms can fortify themselves against conflict are also provided as well as evaluation of how people can make conflict productive in family firms.

A valuable and highly recommended resource guide for all, dealing with issues related to conflict, both within the family as well as the non-family firms.

Family Wars
This is an excellent book which covers new territory in the area of the family business, its potential and its problems. There are rich descriptions of how family firms operate in addition to detailed and insightful analysis of the key issues in their success and failure. I would recommend this book highly to anyone interested in how family firms grow and develop, and how they fail and fall behind. Family firms have many strengths, yet can be brought down by their weaknesses, and this book helps us to understand why and how to avoid the pitfalls.

Family Wars: Classic conflicts in family business
I have a family business background and have spent money with consultants, accountants and lawyers... I've also spent time with my family. There can be a considerable amount of teeth-gnashing.

This book gives a brilliant analysis of the ground rules - particularly the family side, which can get all too emotional as different people 'get out of their comfort zone'.

There are lessons helpful for my family. There are lessons helpful for business.

Then, there are the histories of other family businesses. It's fascinating to see how other people went so wrong and did such terrible things to each other.

All very pertinent. And, for the price, invaluable to read, learn and circulate to all parties around the business table. Family business can bring joy and the responsibilities of wealth. Or it can bring pain, envy and fighting.

Pick up this book to clear your head on the clashes that you may be living or that may flare up in due course. It's an invaluable and fascinating guide.