California State University, Long Beach

The Innovation Delusion: Has Our Obsession With the New Disrupted the Work that Matters Most

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Businesses, governments, non-profits, and individuals are all hunting for the next big thing. Consultants, thought-leaders, and management gurus promise to help us reach the innovation promised-land. But is all of this chatter getting us what we want? It took a pandemic to realize how much our society depends on its maintainers.

Based on the book, The Innovation Delusion, co-author and technology historian Lee Vinsel will explore how our way of thinking about and pursuing innovation has made us poorer, less safe, and—ironically—less innovative. As an alternative, Vinsel will outline the Maintenance Mindset, a more grounded and realistic picture of our lives with technology. He offers a clear plan for shifting our focus away from the pursuit of growth at all costs and back toward neglected activities like maintenance, care, and upkeep.