The Causes of Conflict in an Advisory Relationship
Every conflict between a business advisor and a potential entrepreneur has an underlying reason that leads to discontent and disagreement:
- when the beliefs and the ideas of both parts are incongruent,
- when both parts feel that their input is not accepted nor respected,
- when both parts evaluate the performance of each other with poor and unjust criteria,
- when business advisors set unrealistic goals and assign difficult and non-accomplishable tasks,
- when both parts don’t give feedback and value each other’s contribution in the development of a business idea and plan,
- when two or more of the following values are in conflict (Schwartz, 1992):
- individual interests: Power, achievement, hedonism, stimulation, and self-direction
- collective interests: Benevolence, tradition, and conformity
- mixed interests (Individual and collective driven): Universalism and security
Values constitute an important component of the self and personality and are distinct from attitudes, beliefs, norms and traits.