Work with their strengths. Schroth suggests giving mavericks "their own place to play" -- a role where their restlessness and skepticism can be channeled to good use, such as working on a team that's dealing with an intractable problem.

He tends to assign these people to groups where the work is dragging, as a way to stir up some new ideas and insights. Mavericks tend to be uninhibited, Schroth says. They'll give the group the nudge it needs to get the job done.

Give them space. Mavericks need challenges and the leeway to meet them, McGuire says. But set clear expectations early. Let a maverick know, for example, that he can develop an idea to a specific point but then must turn it over to others who may be more detail-oriented and thus better suited to completing it.

Beware of the Peter Principle. Mavericks often find that the demands of management don't mesh with their style. McCracken recalls one developer who was constantly praised for coming up with creative solutions. Based on that, McCracken promoted him to a management job, but it wasn't a good fit. His staff complained that the maverick was too hands-on, sometimes pushing them aside so he could do the work himself. "Within months, he became unproductive and frustrated," McCracken says. But once he returned to his developer's job, he became successful again. McCracken has since concluded that many mavericks prefer and indeed thrive in hands-on "build and fix" roles.

Show respect. Don't label mavericks as complainers or troublemakers, Schroth says. Don't ignore them, either, by passing them over when making assignments to key committees and the like. "By ignoring these people, managers set a tension in the organization. It sends a message to other people that this is not a particularly tolerated way of behaving here," Schroth says.