January 2025 Breakfast Briefing

Elizabeth Bagger
Avanti Family Business Advisory, Founder


Understanding Family Systems Dynamics: Navigating and Nurturing Relationships for Family and Business Success

In family businesses, the dynamics of personal relationships play a powerful role in shaping the business's growth, resilience, and longevity. Yet the area is often overlooked.

During this session we will dive into family systems dynamics - the interconnected roles, relationships, and influences among family members - and explore how these affect business decisions, leadership transitions, everyday interactions and a family’s ability to enjoy their shared ownership.

Participants will gain insight into:

• Patterns of Behavior: How unconscious family patterns, past and present, impact decision-making and conflict resolution.
• Communication Styles: Ways to improve communication to strengthen trust and minimize misunderstandings.
• Role Clarity: Understanding and balancing family roles within the business to reduce friction.
• Conflict Resolution Tools: Practical approaches for navigating and addressing common sources of tension.
• Future Generations: Preparing the next generation to lead by fostering alignment and shared values.
• Real Life Examples: How family dynamics play out in other families through short case studies.

This session is designed to help family business leaders harness the strengths of their family dynamics and create a supportive environment for long-term sustainable growth.

About the speaker:

Elizabeth is a passionate supporter of and advocate for family owned businesses. She is the founder of Avanti Family Business Advisory, a boutique advisory firm that helps families strengthen their family dynamics, family governance and next generation engagement.

Before founding Avanti FBA in 2021, Elizabeth was the Director General of the Institute for Family Business, a UK based membership organization that lobbies Government on behalf of the family business sector and brings together family businesses for the purpose of learning and networking. Prior to that she worked in corporate governance and in her own family business where she now serves as an NED. She also held a role as an NED in a 6^th and 7^th generation family owned business whilst living in the UK.

Elizabeth holds a certificate in family business advising from the FFI and is a certified facilitator.
She lives between the US (Chicago) and Mexico (Cabo) and works globally.

Questions or Requests

If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact Kelli Burnett kburnett@andersonuniversity.edu) or Dr. Brad Bechtold (864-346-0405) bbechtold@andersonuniversity.edu).