We always have misunderstandings and conflict in our lab. Is there a way to circumvent or resolve these issues? Do I have to hire a professional psychiatrist?
Wit’s End in Wilmington
Dear Witless,
I’ve been waiting for someone to ask this question! Jung stubbed his toe one day and after he finished cursing the curb, his shoes, and his father, he developed the idea that people operate in either an extroverted or introverted way. A mother/daughter team (Briggs and Myers) adapted this dichotomy to four modalities of interacting with the world. I have avoided interacting with mother/daughter teams because of an unfortunate incident in Jena. Instead, I adapted the “DISC” method developed by an old billiards partner and psychologist, Bill Marston. He also created the Wonder Woman comic series, which I found fascinating. Along with Wonder Woman’s fashion sense, his descriptions of behavior are much more in line with what I see among hardcore microscopists and microanalysts. Of course, not everyone fits neatly into these categories, but I like to pigeonhole people. Here is your opportunity to do some amateur evaluations:
Directional (D): This person doesn’t mind making a mess of the microscope and telling others what to do. A go-getter who believes he or she is right, against all opposing evidence. Voted most likely to throw an ohmmeter across the room. It’s best to let them think they are in charge.
Influential (I): This is that Schnìffler that needs to know about everyone’s relationships. They tend to tell you more than you wanted to know about their personal life. They are pretty good at convincing the boss to pay for lunch or wheedling money out of tight-fisted administrators for the repair on that EDS system that hasn’t interfaced with the scope for some time.
Stable (S): Sometimes you wonder if they are ever unhappy or just crazy. This lab member keeps the tip boxes full, the coffee carafe full, and the candy jar full. They laugh at all the jokes and just keep working. They tend to mend the rift among other lab members, but usually there’s a catch.
Compliant (C): This member can drive others wahnsinnig – sticking to the regulations and wanting to do a calibration every hour. They do all the data crunching and double checking and asking for controls. They are good at handling administrative hazards. They write all the SOPs and have memorized the NIST guidelines and instrument instructions. If you need it done right the first time, find a C and then a large pitcher of lagerbier.
If you need an answer to a burning question, contact Herr Abbe’s faithful assistant at jpshield@uga.edu.
