Don Paglia | Marriage and Family Counseling. Constellations Workshops

Family Business Consulting

Family Owned Businesses operate with a built in tension of the family dynamics and the operating business realities. This tension is often unrecognized or unaddressed, or both. When consulting for a Family Business using Family Systems Thinkingthese realities are taken into account, and these twodistinctaspects of the Family Business are eachaddressedwith a focus on the interaction between them. Thus the facilitation of this partnership is intentional and assigned to assuring that the functioning ofthemulti-generational emotional family system’s impact on thebusinessis for the good that might be more effectively brought about – not just the harm than can be prevented. This model truly brings a Family Systems Thinking into the family business model.

With this model, which is a view of the total systems, the leadership sees and understands facts and situations differently – or sees what was always there but not perceived before. Such “seeing” is characteristic of a paradigm shift – a radical change in perception and thinking.

When functioning in this model, there is an intentional effort to form partnerships within the business while aware of the ways in which one’s current family, as well as one’sfamily of origin, beliefs and practices influence his or her attitude and decisions. He or she is also in touch with the ways in which he or she is impacted by other families and the societal institutions and organizations.

Viewing theFamily Business from a Systems Thinking perspective assists the leadership to operate with:

1. Understanding the power of dimensionsusually overlookedand to seek ways to respond creatively to the situations that arise.

2. Perception of one’s role differently in relations to the other parts, and therefore, holds different values, attitudes and behaviors.

3. An intentionality to facilitate partnership between the various business structures and various family dynamics at play within the interacting and overlapping systems.

4. Advocacy toward effectively on behalf of individual and family needs or concerns, whichwhen addressed effectively, ultimately producesbetter and more effective business results.

5. New appreciation for handling conflict andaptness in reducing inappropriate competition, resulting in minimized frustration and burnout.

6. Anticipation to positively deal with points of resistance and support.

Operating from a Family Systems Thinking approach provides better understanding of the interactive functioning of the parts of the family business and a newer awareness of both the inter-play of family and business. This paradigm shift – a new way of thinking – is a more satisfying and more creative approach.