The MERge Model for Business Development

This Brief presents a new model for business development—MERge—to be implemented in practitioners’ professional development in general and in the context of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) initiatives, particularly, in industry, educational institutions and public sector organizations. The authors aim to contribute to the field of innovation and entrepreneurship by merging and consolidating different methodologies and insights borrowed from the "meta-professions" (referring to skills that can be expressed meaningfully after one has gained disciplinary and professional knowledge) of management, education, and research. Targeting three key groups—practitioners in industry, academic institutions and public sector organizations—this model proposes that all practitioners can further develop their unique expertise, as well as new skills, while acknowledging and applying the three meta-professions in their initiatives, on-going work and personal lives. The authors acknowledge that in the postmodern era, where barriers between disciplines are falling in every aspect of professional life, managerial, educational and research skills are becoming increasingly essential and interdependent. Featuring case studies that illustrate how the MERge model is implemented in practice, this volume presents practical tools for integrating these key skills in a wide variety of initiatives in business, teaching and research contexts.