How to Get Along with Your Lab Mates, et al.

Abstract

Working towards a doctorate requires collaboration with others. Your supervisor, a Post-doc in your group, fellow PhD students, the lab assistant, the computer expert, the technician from the workshop – they will all contribute to your thesis in one way or another. No man or woman is an island, so you’ll have to deal with the people around you, whether you like them or not!With some of them you will have a natural fit, and the collaboration will be pleasant and productive from the start. Other people, well – theymay be harder to deal with. Theymay have different opin- ions about planning, be more outspoken than you are (or less), stick too much to the details, or are unimaginative when looking at the big picture.With the aid of a simple tool this chapter aims to help you to understand others (and yourself) better, how they operate and what makes them tick. Then we talk about how your work can benefit from the inherent differences among people.