A Complete Picture of the Family Business

 CONTINUITY

FAMILY BUSINESS CONSULTING 

US/CANADA: 877-925-5149 INTERNATIONAL: 1-978-925-5149

CONTINUITYFBC.COM

 

Understanding family business as the overlap of distinctly different, individual systems has been widely accepted by family business experts for decades. Until now, a 3 system model identifying Family, Business and Ownership has been the state-of-the-art. John Davis and Renato Tagiuri first proposed such a model in 1982. For many years, a more complete graphic depiction of family business has been sought. 

We created a comprehensive Stakeholder Map for Family Business to provide a more complete picture of the family business, with the addition of the Governance, Advisory and Family Council systems. 

Adding the Advisory system in this manner identifies that for an advisor to be truly independent, he or she should not overlap with other systems. In addition, this model allows for the inclusion of external factors impacting the system, making it a useful tool for strategic planning. 

The Stakeholder Map for Family Business was built around the existing 3-circle system in order to allow the incremental overlay of these additional systems. This makes it useful as a teaching tool. 

Students and clients can first get comfortable with the 3-circle model and its three primary systems of Family, Ownership and Business, and then incorporate the additional systems incrementally. 

Aside from being a descriptive tool for better understanding roles and boundaries, and for identifying the inherent conflicts which exist in the overlap of these systems, the StakeholderMap for Family Business has proven useful as a planning tool as well. The map allows all individual stakeholders to be identified in the particular subsystem in which they currently operate. Arrows can be drawn to indicate next steps in the evolution of the firm and family. In this manner, the model serves as a useful single-page graphic summary of how all stakeholders participate in the family business system and where they may each be headed in the future. 

For further explanations, contact Continuity Family Business Consulting at 1-877-925-5149.

Blair Trippe, Expert Negotiator, Mediator & Family Business Consultant

CONTINUITY

FAMILY BUSINESS CONSULTING 

US/CANADA: 877-925-5149 INTERNATIONAL: 1-978-925-5149

CONTINUITYFBC.COM 

As we’ve mention in previous posts, the Continuity Family Business Consulting Team has credentials from top schools and professional societies with extensive, relevant and practice experience in the real world. 

Blair Trippe, a Partner at Continuity FBC, brings a highly specialized approach to the understanding of family systems and the relationship challenges encountered when families work and own together. Her expertise as a negotiator, mediator and family business consultant is grounded in the study of strategic management and conflict resolution methodologies. 

In addition to Blair’s experience with Continuity clients, she was also an in-law of a multi-generational family managing a 7,500-acre farm, a Marketing Specialist at Prudential Bache Securities and The Marketing Manager, Director of New Product Development and Director of Industry Affairs at a start-up firm in the medical device industry. 

Blair co-authored the book, “Mom Always Likes You Best – A Guide to Resolving Family Feuds, Inheritance Battles & Eldercare Crises.” The practical guidebook helps family members become better decision-makers, mindful negotiators and more effective communicators. 

Her leadership in the Mediation field helped create a new specialty through the development of “Elder Decisions” – a division of Agreement Resources, LLC, a consulting firm she co-founded. Agreement Resources provides conflict resolution, mediation and training services to families and a variety of organizations, and is an approved services provider to probate courts in several counties of Massachusetts.

As a workshop facilitator and trainer, Blair has conducted sessions for the EPA, The Harvard Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, Judge’s Institute, American Bar Association, National Association of Geriatric Care Managers, Alzheimer’s Association, the Northeastern University Center for Family Business, Massachusetts Collaborative Law Council, Northeast Human Resource Association, Dartmouth Hitchcock Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease, Just a Start House, and the Family Firm Institute, among others.

Blair received her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, with a concentration in marketing and finance, and a BA in psychology from Connecticut College. Her memberships and certifications include: 

Professional Certifications:

• Program on Negotiation (negotiation and dispute resolution, mediation and participatory process) – Harvard Law School

• Certificate in Family Business Advising – Family Firm Institute

• The Center for Dispute Resolution (negotiation and teamwork teaching) – Northwestern University

• The Center for Social Gerontology (elder mediation) – Ann Arbor, MI

• Mediation Works, Inc. (executive and advanced mediation; negotiation skills)

Memberships:

• Association for Conflict Resolution/New England (former board member and chair of the education committee)

• Massachusetts Council on Family Mediation

• International Ombuds Association

• Family Firm Institute

Community Leadership:

• Trustee – The DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, MA – 1998 – 2011

For more information on Blair Trippe and Continuity Family Business Consulting, visit ContinuityFBC.com.