Innovation at the Verge

“Innovation at the Verge creates whole new categories of products and services, wonderful opportunities for improvement, and huge competitive advantages. The power of the Verge is in the combination of differences.” —Joel A. Barker

Futurist and author Joel Barker teaches how to create your own future by finding your next innovation. Through stories and examples, you will learn how to combine your ideas with the ideas of others as you meet at the Verge.

You find Verges between different industries, disciplines, professions and systems. When done right, innovating at the verge creates whole new categories of products and services, opportunities for improvement and competitive advantages.

The video program features stories and real-world examples from disparate organizations partnering together, such as: General Motors and The Center for Disease Control, Target Stores and the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, along with examples from Federal Express and Toyota.

For years, trainers have come to rely on successfully using Joel Barker training programs because of their multiple levels of application. Using Innovation at the Verge will be no different. Here are a few topics and areas for training:

Creativity: Teach people to create something new. Use the program to encourage creativity and push people out of their day-to-day thinking. Use the program to teach the importance of creating altogether new uses of what they are already doing.

Risk Taking: Teach people to take risks. This program does not say hunker down and play it safe. This program is not for those who are set on doing the same thing, hoping for different results. Use the program to teach people how to take risks and look far outside of their comfort zone to find new ideas.

Leadership: Teach people how to be imaginative leaders. Use the program to encourage leaders to see the value of building a diverse team of people with different ways of thinking and solving problems. Help leaders see that the best ideas often come from the most unexpected sources.

Communication: Teach people how to talk about new ideas. The easiest thing to say is “No, that wouldn't work”. Use the program to teach how to talk about the value of new ideas. Help people to understand how innovations create new options that didn’t exist before, enlarging the marketplace.

Innovation: Teach people how to find the future. We are facing unprecedented demands for new ideas in energy, healthcare, education, transportation, housing--just to name a few. Use the program to teach people how to go exploring in places they usually ignore.