By Kerry Grens

1. Be aware

"I think the single most important thing a lab director can do is be cognizant of these issues," says Carl Cohen, president of Science Management Associates. Ignoring conflict in the lab can allow situations to spiral out of control. Stay in tune with the interpersonal dynamics and recognize when you are needed to step in.

2. Confront conflict

When it's time to step in, be direct and honest. "If you've got something constructively critical to tell somebody, tell them directly, clearly: This is not acceptable. Tell them you're happy to work with them to change, and here are suggestions for change," says Ed O'Neil at the University of California, San Francisco. Do not embarrass or humiliate anyone by reprimanding his or her behavior in front of others.

3. Find your mission

Clearly state the objectives of the lab, both scientific and professional. "The vision is the goal of your research and culture of your lab and what values you want to instill," says MaryRose Franko at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Include guidelines for behavior, bench ethics regarding shared resources, and methods for conflict resolution.

4. Clarify expectations

When new members are considering joining your lab, present them with the lab philosophy and discuss each other's expectations for accomplishing experiments and collaborating with and mentoring others. Write down goals and deadlines and visit them periodically. "If you find their ability or motivation doesn't match their goals, you have to tell them," says Professor W. And if those expectations are continually unmet, discuss opportunities for readjusting goals or finding a place outside the lab that would be more suited to their skills and interests.

5. Recruit deliberately

Once you have established your goals and expectations, avoid taking on people who will not meet them. "We've turned down many people who were technically perfect, but didn't fit," says Mary Yaroshevsky-Glanville, vice president for human capital at Anadys Pharmaceuticals. Yaroshevsky-Glanville says it's important to ask questions about a person's history of conflict at other jobs to know what he or she will bring to your lab.

6. Allow others freedom to lead

When conflicts occur among lab members over the best way to run the lab or do an experiment, divide the authority. Give members ownership over different parts of the lab, and have them demonstrate why their management decisions are effective. Even before conflicts begin, says John Galland, director of the Lab Management Institute at UC-Davis, ask yourself: "What are you going to do to give others in your lab [some] opportunities to lead?"

7. Bone up

Learn how to communicate with your lab members. First, understand your own personality and communication style, then get to know how others operate. "We have our course participants do a Myers-Briggs personality assessment, and I find those measurements are helpful because they help you understand your temperament and the temperament of those around you," says Joan Lakoski, assistant vice chancellor for academic career development at the University of Pittsburgh. To advance from there, find out if your institution offers workshops on lab management, or pick up a book on leadership.