These days, there is a great deal of talk - and mystery - about family governance. Governance at its root is quite simple - it is how groups of people make decisions. Even more fundamental to this question is the question of how power to make those decisions is distributed among stakeholders. While this is simple in theory, the application in families can be complex.
Family governance can range from highly autocratic to highly collaborative and participatory. Highly autocratic systems can work well when there is little complexity or there is a need to make quick decisions. As family systems grow in complexity, autocratic approaches tend to destroy the fabric of the family. At the Wesley Group we recognize that there are different forms of complexity: dynamic complexity (causes and effects are unclear and distant in time), generative complexity (old solutions don’t work) and social complexity (people have different perspectives and agendas). If a governance system is going to work it has to take all of these forms of complexity into account.
Often questions of power are hot-button issues in families and even bringing them up provokes a great deal of anxiety and consequent drama. To that end, developing a governance approach is a way to manage that anxiety and helps families make effective decisions that allow the family to grow and develop but at the same time preserve connection and unity.
There is a growing trend by experts to focus on the creation of structures (such as family assemblies or family councils), governing documents (such as policies and constitutions) and processes (to address such things as making fair and just decisions for individuals and groups and resolving grievances). These interventions are usually helpful, but they rarely address core issues within the family dynamics and therefore create forms that may or may not function well in a particular family.
The root cause of these breakdowns is that importing governmental models into what is essentially a family system is like trying to make a large foot fit into a small shoe. Turning family decision making into an essentially political process can be healthy and a breath of fresh air for families that have been in conflict, but in the long run, these governance forms can be quite destructive and corrosive to the relational quality of the family.
As it turns out, power and love operate differently in families than they do in representative democracies or other forms of familiar governance. The problem with these “constitutional” approaches is that they are designed to deal almost exclusively with social complexity. They are rarely designed to help the family innovate and they don’t help the family see the forest from the trees.
What is required is the development of governance systems that not only fit the family culture but are equal to dealing not only with social complexity, but also with dynamic and generative complexity. Failure to address these other forms of complexity means that the family governance system will fail in the long run because it is not designed to be either wise or creative.
We believe that there are no off the shelf solutions for families. Families must develop ways of making decisions. The future success of the family depends on its capacity to do so. Yet, how that work is done is unique to each family. We work with families to design and implement forms of governance that are not only just, but also wise and inherently creative.
Family governance can range from highly autocratic to highly collaborative and participatory. Highly autocratic systems can work well when there is little complexity or there is a need to make quick decisions. As family systems grow in complexity, autocratic approaches tend to destroy the fabric of the family. At the Wesley Group we recognize that there are different forms of complexity: dynamic complexity (causes and effects are unclear and distant in time), generative complexity (old solutions don’t work) and social complexity (people have different perspectives and agendas). If a governance system is going to work it has to take all of these forms of complexity into account.
Often questions of power are hot-button issues in families and even bringing them up provokes a great deal of anxiety and consequent drama. To that end, developing a governance approach is a way to manage that anxiety and helps families make effective decisions that allow the family to grow and develop but at the same time preserve connection and unity.
There is a growing trend by experts to focus on the creation of structures (such as family assemblies or family councils), governing documents (such as policies and constitutions) and processes (to address such things as making fair and just decisions for individuals and groups and resolving grievances). These interventions are usually helpful, but they rarely address core issues within the family dynamics and therefore create forms that may or may not function well in a particular family.
The root cause of these breakdowns is that importing governmental models into what is essentially a family system is like trying to make a large foot fit into a small shoe. Turning family decision making into an essentially political process can be healthy and a breath of fresh air for families that have been in conflict, but in the long run, these governance forms can be quite destructive and corrosive to the relational quality of the family.
As it turns out, power and love operate differently in families than they do in representative democracies or other forms of familiar governance. The problem with these “constitutional” approaches is that they are designed to deal almost exclusively with social complexity. They are rarely designed to help the family innovate and they don’t help the family see the forest from the trees.
What is required is the development of governance systems that not only fit the family culture but are equal to dealing not only with social complexity, but also with dynamic and generative complexity. Failure to address these other forms of complexity means that the family governance system will fail in the long run because it is not designed to be either wise or creative.
We believe that there are no off the shelf solutions for families. Families must develop ways of making decisions. The future success of the family depends on its capacity to do so. Yet, how that work is done is unique to each family. We work with families to design and implement forms of governance that are not only just, but also wise and inherently creative.
The Challenge of Family Governance
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