Product Description

The challenge faced by family businesses and their stakeholders, is to recognise the issues that they face, understand how to develop strategies to address them and more importantly, to create narratives, or family stories that explain the emotional dimension of the issues to the family. The most intractable family business issues are not the business problems the organisation faces, but the emotional issues that compound them. Applying psychodynamic concepts will help to explain behaviour and will enable the family to prepare for life cycle transitions and other issues that may arise.

Here is a new understanding and a broader perspective on the human dynamics of family firms with two complementary frameworks, psychodynamic and family systematic, to help make sense of family–run organisations. Although this book includes a conceptual section, it is first and foremost a practical book about the real world issues faced by business families.

The book begins by demonstrating that many years of achievement through generations can be destroyed by the next, if the family fails to address the psychological issues they face. By exploring cases from famous and less well known family businesses across the world, the authors discuss entrepreneurs, the entrepreneurial family and the lifecycles of the individual and the organisation. They go on to show how companies going through change and transition can avoid the pitfalls that endanger both family and company. The authors then apply tools that will help family businesses in transition and offer their analyses and conclusions.

Readers should draw their own conclusions from careful examination of the cases, identifying the problems or dilemmas faced and the options for improved business performance and family relationships. They should ask what they might have done in the given situation and what new insight into individual or family behaviour each case offers. The goal is to avoid a bitter ending.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #337582 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-21
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 324 pages

Review
“…explores the reasons why some family businesses are dysfunctional – and how to cure them.” (The Guardian, Saturday 15th September 2007)

"fascinating new book" (The Independent, Tuesday 9th October 2007)

"a unique insight into the subject." (Guardian Unlimited guardian.co.uk, Thursday 13th December)

"You′ll find this book well worth reading" (Edge, February 2008)

"...an insight into addressing key family buisness issues." (Gulf Buisness, February 2008)

Review
“…explores the reasons why some family businesses are dysfunctional – and how to cure them.” (The Guardian, Saturday 15th September 2007)

"fascinating new book" (The Independent, Tuesday 9th October 2007)

"a unique insight into the subject." (Guardian Unlimited guardian.co.uk, Thursday 13th December)

"You′ll find this book well worth reading" (Edge, February 2008)

"...an insight into addressing key family business issues." (Gulf Business, February 2008)

Edge, February 2008
"You'll find this book well worth reading"

Customer Reviews

Excellent and thoughtful book
The authors show in the new book the psychological condition of family business leaders that can have a profound impact on all those who work under them. It helped me understand that the most intractable family business issues are not the business or strategy problems the organisation faces, but the emotional issues that compound them. This book provides mountains of information that can help families in business plan and prepare for the demands of being involved with a family business. This is exactly the insight that I was looking for.

Thank you for doing such an outstanding job, Manfred, Randel and Elizabeth. I really appreciate your gift to business owners, family members, family business researchers and students.

I highly recommend it!

A perceptive psychological analysis of family businesses
James Michener begins his novel "Hawaii" with the splitting of a cell. This trio of psychologists doesn't go that far, but the authors do lay an extensive framework for applying psychoanalytic psychology, systems analysis and family therapy to the family business arena. getAbstract thinks that this serious text may be more of a resource for therapists, counselors and consultants than reading material for people who take only a casual interest in family businesses or who are looking for a quick fix. Authors Manfred Kets de Vries and Randel Carlock, writing with Elizabeth Florent-Treacy, delve deeply into the human dynamics that affect family-run companies, including the psychology of the individuals involved, the characteristics of entrepreneurs and the business family-paradigm. They look closely at human and organizational life cycles, and study how emotional volatility intensifies in times of transition. The authors make generous use of case studies, diagrams and models, and demonstrate how they've applied their methodology to advise troubled family businesses.