They can't all be failing.  Conflict is normal and at times, routine. It's only when conflict is not managed in a positive way that it becomes a destructive force.

Owners and managers of family businesses should reflect on their success.  Families that maintain successful businesses tend to approach family and business issues with a "continuing education" attitude.  Winning family businesses demonstrate certain traits.  They:
 

1) Have leaders who lead a balanced life-it is not all work or all play.
2) Communicate regularly-they have a system in place that fosters both playful and serious talk.
3) Agree on the business purpose, and have clearly defined business goals.
4) Plan, plan, plan-strategic, marketing, estate, disaster, financial, etc.
5) Share power-everyone who can add value is allowed input and not all decisions are de facto by the majority stockholder.
6) Have entrenched traditions-everyone has family traditions whether they plan them or not.  Traditions can keep a family connected.
7) Have similar values-big differences in some values make it tough to ever share a common outlook.
8) Compete in more stable markets and industries-they are not into fads, fashions or trendy ideas.
9) Grow slower-rapid growth is difficult to manage.
10) Remain small to medium in size-pressures mount when a famfly business tops the $2 billion mark.
11) Have strong and capable competition-monopolies do not succeed in free markets. (Muhammad Ali is considered the greatest because he had a Frazier, Norton and Foreman to topple).
12) Exude passion for the business-these families tend to think beyond "getting rich" and emphasize the family legacy.
13) Know their customers-it's common for these businesses to have long standing personal relationships with customers, vendors and business partners.
14) Have governance-in order to grow, a company's leaders must be open to objective evaluation and feedback.  A board of directors or board of advisors works wonders for a family business.