Vom Vier-Augen-Prinzip zum Zwei-Fronten-Krieg

According to the German Federal Ministry of Economic Affairs and Technology 25 % of all start-ups fail within their first three years. A third of the team managed start-ups fail not because of classical management errors but due to conflicts within the management team. This article aims to pinpoint the reasons behind team conflicts that jeopardize corporations and to illustrate their course by utilizing the psychodynamic concept of collusion relationship (Jürg Willi), adapted from couple therapy. Using anonymized cases, the article will classify characteristic types of collusion and describe possible ways out of these conflicts.