Companies across industries and varying in size have a few things in common. One such common area is that all companies will at some time experience both internal and external conflicts, and the corporate counsel office can be a key to managing conflicts effectively. Conflict resolution is a basic responsibility of every in-house counsel in America, but after 16 years working in a franchise environment with AFC Enterprises Inc. and the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen brand, it is my belief that the best outcomes are realized when conflict resolution is approached with common purpose, trust, and transparency.
In our industry—franchising—the nature of the relationship can create some natural tension and conflict between the franchisor and its franchisees. On one side, an effective franchisor must establish and maintain relative uniformity across a worldwide system. On the other side, many good franchisees are entrepreneurs at heart and often want to run their businesses with a great deal of independence and autonomy. To complicate the situation further, most franchisees join established franchise systems like Popeyes for the advantage of being able to provide a uniform customer experience across broad geographic areas. These seemingly competing interests can create difficult conditions and even outright conflict—but the situation is manageable. Peaceful and effective resolution of conflicts can be achieved with the right approach and the right mind-set.
