Tensions Generated by Business Issues in Farm Business‐Owning Couples*

Business tensions were investigated for farm couples. Wives reported higher tension in four out of seven business tensions. Profit was the highest priority for husbands, whereas wives identified good family relationships as the highest priority. Transferring family financial resources to the business and having preschool children was associated with increased tensions for both wives and husbands. For husbands only, experiencing more stressful life events and indicating high importance for keeping the business within the family was associated with Increased tensions. For both spouses, having the husband place family over business in priority, having a high level of functional Integrity in the family system, and having a wife who was satisfied with her role in the business was associated with decreased tensions. Key Words: business, families, family businesses, farm, goal achievement, tensions. (Family Relations, 2004, 53, 357-366) Consultation with family businesses has expanded in recent years (Deacon, 1996; Kaslow, 1993; McClendon & Kadis, 1991; Rodriguez, Hildreth, & Mancuso, 1999). One of the reasons for such growth is that consultants to family businesses report that conflict is one of the fastest growing concerns affecting the sustainability of family businesses (Cosier & Harvey, 1998; Ward & Aronoff, 1994), which depends on the achievement of goals by the family business (Danes & Olson, 2003; Stafford, Duncan, Danes, & Winter, 1999). Some tension creates positive movement toward reaching family business goals, but too much tension or conflict detracts resources (both human and economic) from achievement of these goals (Danes & Olson). Family professionals who work or consult with family businesses must be aware of the unique culture that they present. The two systems, business and family, often are inextricably linked (Stafford et al., 1999; Danes & Olson, 2003), and the patterns of interacting within the family often are unconsciously transferred to the business system (Danes & Olson; Hollander & Bukowitz, 2002). In addition, some types of family businesses, such as farm business-owning families, are intertwined with the culture of the rural communities in which they are embedded (Rosenblatt, 1990; Salamon, 1992; Sontag & Bubolz, 1996). Farm family businesses are conducive to tension and conflict because of the many changes occurring within the agricultural industry (Carson, Araquistain, Ide, Quoss, & Weigel, 1994; Harvey & Evans, 1994; Danes, Zuiker, Kean, & Arbuthnot, 1999). Stafford et al. (1999) indicated in their Family Business Sustainability Model that interpersonal and resource transactions differ in times of stability versus change; this premise holds whether the change is environmental, structural, or both. Much of the literature suggests that conflict, tension, and stress within farm business-owning families occur during unusual times or in the face of crises, such as economic recession, change in farm ownership, or loss of the farm (for examples, see Conger & Elder, 1994; Danes & Rettig, 1993; Rosenblatt, 1990, 1991). Unlike these studies, the present study investigated tension generated by business issues experienced on a more regular basis, using a subsample of farm business-owning couples with varying financial circumstances derived from a national random sample of family businesses. Specifically, our purpose was to explore the tensions generated by business issues for farm business-owning couples, the family and business goal context from which these tensions are generated, and factors that affect the tensions over business issues. Literature Review Family Business Dynamics A strong family business calls for open communication about goals and a desire to resolve misunderstandings about issues that affect the achievement of those goals (Danes et al., 1999; Isaacs, 1991). Activities among system subunits must be coordinated and regulated to ensure the system's stability (specifically, who does what, how resources like money and time are distributed, who has decision authority over which issues; McCullom, 1988; Rettig, Leichtentritt, & Danes, 1999). …