Styles of handling interpersonal conflict and family functioning in family owned businesses

This study explored the relationship between styles of handling interpersonal conflict and family functioning among members of family owned businesses. It was hypothesized that conflict management style would differ across level of family functioning. Participants were referred from 9 family business consultants who responded to a national mailing and included 65 adults from 31 different family owned businesses. The sample was over represented by married, white males. Participants completed two self report inventories including the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES-III) and the Rahim Organizational Conflict Inventory (ROCI-II). A structured telephone interview of participants was completed covering demographic information. Those individuals who rated their family's functioning in the balanced range were more likely to utilize an obliging style to handle interpersonal conflict than those who were in the mid or extreme range. Those individuals who reported avoiding family business conflict reported higher family satisfaction scores. No significant correlations between adaptability and cohesion and conflict management style were found. The lack of an obliging style was found to be a significant predictor of mid/extreme family functioning.