Konflikte oder: neun Stufen in den Abgrund

The WIFU Foundation’s publication *WIFU_kompakt 19: Conflicts, or: Nine Steps into the Abyss* (2021) offers a systematic introduction to the dynamics of escalating conflicts within entrepreneurial families and highlights their potentially destructive trajectory. The starting point is the observation that conflicts follow their own self-reinforcing logic, which becomes increasingly difficult to control as they escalate.

In terms of content, this issue is based on the nine-stage model developed by conflict researcher Friedrich Glasl, which is divided into three stages of escalation. It explains at what point conflicts can still be resolved through the parties’ own efforts, when they turn into a zero-sum game of winners and losers, and at which stages all those involved ultimately suffer harm. The individual stages of escalation are described in detail and applied to typical conflict trajectories within business families.

Furthermore, the publication examines psychological mechanisms such as irrationality, tunnel vision and the formation of opposing camps, as well as warning signs of increasing relationship breakdown, drawing, amongst other things, on the escalation patterns described by John Gottman. Finally, it highlights the particular danger posed by conflicts passed down through the generations and emphasises the importance of professional, early-stage conflict management for the long-term stability of entrepreneurial families.