Lab Dynamics: Management Skills for Scientists

Scientists are trained in scholarship and technical skills but not, typically, in how to deal with their peers, supervisors, or staff who report to them. Yet even a first–rate research project can fail or flounder if the people concerned can’t get along. Lab Dynamics is a book about the challenges of doing science and dealing with the individuals involved, including oneself. The authors, a scientist and a psychotherapist, draw on principles of group and behavioral psychology but speak to scientists in their own language. They offer in–depth, practical advice, real–life examples, and exercises tailored to scientific and technical workplaces on topics as diverse as conflict resolution, negotiation, dealing with supervision, working with competing peers, and making transitions between academia and industry. This book addresses a subject of direct importance to lab heads, postdocs, students, and managers concerned about improving the effectiveness of academic and industrial research.

...a concisely written book designed to provide scientists, in a variety of settings, a comprehensive skill set for surviving other scientists and the pressures of the work place. The book is written to appeal to a range of scientists from beginning trainees to seasoned professionals. Importantly, the authors provide real world examples of personal interactions between scientists in jobs covering a broad scope of work settings...Scientists who work in settings ranging from industry, government, or academia will likely find the book interesting and useful...This first edition book was developed from the authors' considerable experiences as scientists and consultants in academia and in the private sector. The book is easily read and holds the interest of the reader with amusing anecdotes, clever quotes, and real world examples and tables that summarize each chapter. --Veterinary Pathology

Lab Dynamics is a highly understandable and practical book that equips the reader with the basics for developing the requisite soft skills that can significantly enhance technical productivity and promote career satisfaction and advancement.... --Clinical Chemistry