Conflict in franchise relationships is generally considered to be that which occurs between franchisor and franchisee, but what happens when conflict breaks out between franchisees?
Although rare, conflict between franchisees does occur. This creates a unique management problem for franchisors, who are often damned if they get involved, and equally damned if they don’t.
Whether franchisors like it or not, they will be seen as the umpire to resolve any problems between franchisees in a network, and often these problems are caused by issues that the franchisor either did not realistically foresee, or which come completely from left field.
For example, a franchisor recently told me about a disagreement between two franchisees following an awards presentation which resulted in fisticuffs and a surprise spectacle for the other franchisees present. Full post.