In Thomas Friedman's The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century, the author examines the impact of the "flattening" of the world, and argues that globalized trade, outsourcing, supply-chaining and political forces have changed the world permanently, for both better and worse. He also argues that the pace of globalization is quickening and will continue to have a growing impact on business organization and practice.

This month's cover story "Global Management" looks at the flattening world from the perspective of the lab manager struggling to stay on top of projects and teams located far away from his or her facility. According to author John Borchardt, complexities of the problem include various cultural attitudes toward deadlines and punctuality as well as differences in language, age and time zones. He credits technology such as e-mail, long-distance conference calls and videoconferencing with making global management even remotely (no pun intended) possible, but also points out their limitations. Those technologies "are not conducive to relaxing and engaging in the informal conversations that build familiarity, trust and a sense of common purpose between managers and their staff members and between staff members themselves."

John Borchardt also contributes this month's Leadership & Staffing article, "Competing Priorities". In the piece he discusses the critical importance of making sure your efforts in the lab are in line with those of the larger organization. He offers up practical tips for keeping your priorities straight, your lab more competitive and, perhaps in doing so, your job better protected.

In this month's Technology & Operations article, "Into the Field," Angelo DePalma explores the latest in field instrumentation and the technologies and demands that are driving its evolution. Though the need for real-time, actionable analytics that the instrumentation offers is great, DePalma says that many of these portable instruments "lack the dynamic range, sensitivity, resolution, automation capability, and interoperability of their benchtop counterparts."

This month we are proud to introduce two new features to the magazine. The first, Lab Manager Academy, introduces the topic and the presenter of our next Lab Manager Academy webcast. Meet Karla Brandau who, here and in her webcast on September 1, shares her insights into the importance of setting crystal clear goals for your lab. Visit www.labmanager.com/academy to learn more and register.

We also introduce our first Lab Product Surveys results. Based on your participation, learn what your peers say goes into purchasing a titrator.

And speaking of surveys, if you haven't already, expect to receive this year's Lab Manager Magazine Salary and Job Satisfaction survey in your e-mail inboxes soon. Please take a minute to share your story so that we can get a clearer picture of what, if anything, has changed over this past year of economic changes and challenges. The results will be published in the October issue. Make sure you're included.

Lastly, I hope you will be taking some time away from the lab this summer to relax and recharge your batteries. Enjoy yourself and don't forget the sunscreen!

- am

"Policymakers, universities, and employers should work together to speed the development of professionally oriented master's degree programs in the natural sciences. Graduates of these programs -- which build both scientific knowledge and practical workplace skills -- can make a strong contribution to the nation's competitiveness." – The National Research Council, July, 2008

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For many, "project management" means graphs, charts, and procedures, often implemented through a software package, designed to plan and guide to completion repetitive and highly predictable work. If that's what it means, does it have a place in today's research lab?

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Pittcon 2010 ended yesterday afternoon at the Orlando Convention Center. As expected, the attendance numbers were down slightly from last year. If you weren't there, please tell us why. If you were, please share your impressions.

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There is currently no governmental body, no state or federal agency that oversees the forensic labs that run tests on DNA, fingerprints, ballistics, even on the blood of drunken driving suspects.

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All generations are not created equal nor are they motivated the same way. How much attention do you pay to the personality characteristics that differentiate boomers from Gen Xers from Generation Ys?

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When interviewing a job candidate, do you adhere strictly to a grading scale or do you sometimes modify the job requirements based on the unique qualifications of the candidate?

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Welcome to the updated "Editor's Buzz," now a blog. As editor-in-chief of Lab Manager Magazine, I have a unique bird's eye view on the world of lab management. With this perspective, I will be weighing in on a variety of topics that should be of keen interest to lab managers. While contributing writer John Borchardt will focus on management and staffing matters on his blog (Lab Management Matters), I will cast a wider net to include topics such as "Tips for getting the most out of trade shows," "Keeping clutter at bay," and "Tracking grant dollars." I will also use this platform to point out new features of the site and on-line only articles of interest, as well as timely industry news and events. I will also create conversations on topics of interest based on reader feedback. For example, one reader recently challenged an interviewing technique author Ron Pickett recommended in his October article, "Honing Your Interviewing Skills." I will share that letter along with Ron's response and then ask readers to weigh in. Keep an eye out for that blog entry next week. Until then, say goodbye to the old style "Buzz" and hello to the new blog-style Buzz!

Sincerely,
Pam

PS. We have included the previous Editor's Buzzes below so feel free to comment on any of the past topics or future blog posts.

Last week I received a phone call from a lab manager asking if there was literature or guidelines for cleaning up the glassware clutter and chemicals in his research lab. I had nothing to offer. Do you?

While not the most glamorous of lab management tasks, controlling clutter and helping your staff keep their work areas tidy (and thus safe) is no small feat. However, based on some cursory research after hearing from this lab manager last week, it seems there's not much in the way of step-by-step guidelines for getting and keeping one's lab ship shape. If I've missed something, please let me know. If you can offer your own suggestions, I'll take that as well and pass along via the magazine or online. I look forward to hearing from you so that I can help your colleagues clean up their acts.