In families with a number of children, two or more may become involved in the family business. This depends, of course, on the interests of the individual children. In some cases, parents feel fortunate if even one child elects to stay with the family firm. Nevertheless, it is not unusual for several siblings to take positions within the firm. Even those who do not work in the business may be more than casual observers on the sidelines because of their stake as heirs or partial owners.
At best, siblings work as a smoothly functioning team, each contributing services according to his or her respective abilities. Just as some families experience excellent cooperation and unity in their family relationships, some family businesses benefit from effective collaboration among brothers and sisters.
However, just as there are sometimes squabbles
within a family, there can also be sibling rivalry Within a family business. Business issues tend to generate competition, and this affects family, as well as nonfamily, members. Siblings, for example, may disagree about business policy or about their respective roles in the business. Rivalry quickly became a problem among the three siblings involved in Peter Pan
Bus Lines in Springfield, Massachusetts.1ฐ As Paul and Mary (pictured) tried to work with Peter Jr. at the bus line's corporate headquarters, the three third-generation family members began undercut-
ting each other, The tension between Peter Jr. and Paul was particularly intense, and lower-level employees, when asked in employee surveys about company problems, put "company squabbles" at the top of the list. Eventually, the father split the ownership of the bus line and certain real estate
holdings in such a way that the siblings could operate more independently of each other. The new arrangement did not bring the children closer to each other but did eliminate a lot of friction.