Sigma Xi Honorary Society
April 3, 2010 by Ryan Merlin · Leave a Comment
Yesterday was the induction of some of my fellow students and I into the Sigma Xi honorary society for groundbreaking original research in science.
Sigma Xi is an international, multidisciplinary research society whose programs and activities promote the health of the scientific enterprise and honor scientific achievement.
CGU Relay for Life – American Cancer Society
March 14, 2010 by Ryan Merlin · Leave a Comment
As part of the Graduate Student Council this year I have the honor to be the team captain and CEO of Claremont Graduate University’s team in the Relay for Life by the American Cancer Society. I’m proud to help contribute to the cause as a good friend of mine is a cancer survivor and a true inspiration to me in my life and it’s the least I can do to give back the gifts he has given me.
For everyone interested, please see the link below to sign up to participate in the relay or at least donate to the cause.
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/cgu.students.friends
Thank you all!!
Google Maps adds Bike Friendly Routes
March 10, 2010 by Ryan Merlin · Leave a Comment
From Google Official Blog
It’s long been one of Google Map’s most requested features, and now it’s here. Recreational cyclists and bike commuters alike can plot cycle-friendly routes, find trails, and avoid snarling traffic with Google Maps’ Bicycle layer.
Developmental Readiness: Accelerating leader development – Avolio & Hannah, 2008
September 16, 2009 by Ryan Merlin · Leave a Comment
The authors of this article aim to create a framework for understanding how the level of developmental readiness impacts the process of leader development. The authors propose a way to accelerate leader development by clearly understanding developmental readiness of the leader and the organization. Not taking this into account may offer an explanation as to why some developmental programs are more or less successful. They propose that development efforts should first focus on assessing and building the developmental readiness of the leaders themselves, as well as the developmental readiness of the organization as crucial factors for effective leader development. They identify 5 constructs in their model of developmental readiness:
- learning goal orientation
- developmental efficacy
- self-concept clarity
- self-complexity
- meta-cognitive ability.
The major contribution of this article is that to offer effective leadership development, we have to first set the stage for the development to occur. Namely, that the individual has to be ready to embark on the process of change (with the right resources and motivation), and the organization has to remain fertile ground for the growth to occur.
This article fits in with the concepts of change, in that development efforts are typically successful when interacting with the conditions that can support it. For example, leaders tend to have a wide array of experiences on an ongoing basis, yet depending on the developmental readiness of the leaders, they might each see the same situation quite differently. One might work to just get by, while the other is interested in learning, testing new skills, reflecting on progress, and integrating it into the self-concept going forward. This is clearly vital in the workplace as it allows greater clarity, accuracy, and ROI on LD interventions.