directly proportional to the productivity of
staff and students.Conflict Resolution
Like management techniques, conflict reso-
lution is an essential skill for which scientists
are not trained specifically. Books or work-
shops on conflict resolution are available, but
a few simple rules may be enough to defuse
most situations. Use time, space and/or
humor to place distance between dissentingindividuals. Obtain another perspective of the
problem by speaking to someone who is famil-
iar with the individuals. If necessary, bring in
a neutral party to help resolve the issue. Young
scientists would be wise to choose their battles
carefully to avoid being labeled contentious.Use All Available Resources
Secretaries, administrative assistants and
staff members of an organization are often
vast storehouses of information. They can
often help with questions about the generalatmosphere of a department, appropriate
dress or behavior, personalities of other
organization members, and what senior peo-ple can “get away with” while junior people
cannot. For questions that are too sensitive to
broach with local colleagues, speaking to
mentors at other institutions by phone or e-
mail is an excellent solution. In addition, the
internet may be a quick way to obtain infor-
mation about management or conflict resolu-
tion skills, to name a couple.
Although mastering the unwritten rules of
scientific society may seem daunting, the key
is identifying the few individuals with the
most information. After this, mastering the
written rules will seem like a piece of cake! ■This article was based on a Women in Cell Biology
Committee presentation of “The Unwritten
Rules” at the ASCB 40th Annual Meeting in San
Francisco in December 2000. Caroline Kane mod-
erated the session, which featured Mina Bissell,
Frank Solomon, Julie Theriot and Donella Wilson.14 CAREER ADVICE FOR LIFE SCIENTISTS
Secretaries, administrative
assistants and staff members of
an organization are often vast
storehouses of information.Young scientists would be wise
to choose their battles carefully
to avoid being labeled
contentious.