Management and ownership transition, and, inheritance complete the picture. Underlying so many situations where problems arise is the failure to keep in mind that management and ownership are separate and distinct entities. Their revenge can take the form of lowered motivation and involvement often at a time when their experience and contributions are most needed. Also, this pool of disgruntled employees spawn disloyalty in the form of secretly providing competitors with important company information.
Offspring have other avenues by which to right perceived wrongs and broken promises.
Family pressure is often brought to bear in the form of a spouse haranguing her husband to sell or give the business to their offspring slaving away in the business. A second source of dissension surrounding ownership transition occurs when the new owner has inherited unwanted partners. These partners can be siblings who have other careers or who have no career at all other than as the company's cash drain. The unwanted-partner scenario is undoubtedly the largest single source of lawsuits in family owned businesses. A more explosive scene would be hard to imagine.