Biography
About Joel Barker
Joel A. Barker is one of the best known futurists in the world. His videos on the future have been translated into 20 languages and have been seen by more than 100 million people. His book on paradigms is a standard text in more than 100 universities and has also been translated into 20 languages.
He popularized the concept of paradigm shifts. He started the corporate discussion of the importance of vision in 1989 with his video, “The Power of Vision.”
His most recent book, Five Regions of the Future, co-authored with Dr. Scott Erickson, examines how technology is beginning to cluster into technological ecosystems and what that means to our future.
His current focus is on two topics: “innovation at the verge”—a new place for finding the big ideas for the 21st century; and the importance of understanding and identifying the long term implications of change.
Formerly director of the Futures Studies Department of the Science Museum of Minnesota, he has since spoken to more than one million people in North America, Europe, Asia and South America and Australia.
His videos have been called by Industry Week Magazine one of the most influential series of programs in the business world.
He has received numerous awards including two honorary doctorates. In 2006, he was named one of the 100 most distinguished educators in the past 100 years by the University of Minnesota’s College of Education. In 2008, he was identified as one of the top 100 thought leaders in personal leadership and organizational Leadership by Executive Excellence Publications.
“Vision without action is merely a dream;
action without vision just passes the time.
Vision with action can change the world.”—Joel Barker