The Innovation Delusion Quotes

“The ideology of change for its own sake is a recipe for disaster in the wrong hands. Fortune magazine named Enron the most innovative company in America from 1996 to 2001, before the energy giant’s shady accounting practices came to light.”
― Lee Vinsel, The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most

“Unlike actual innovation, which is tangible, measurable, and much less common, innovation-speak is a sales pitch about a future that doesn’t yet exist.”
― Lee Vinsel, The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most

“We think it’s time to refocus on what’s healthy for the vast majority of workers, for the businesses that aren’t at the cutting edge of digital transformation, and for all of us who don’t want to be subject to the whims of a few out-of-touch billionaires.”
― Lee Vinsel, The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most

“The associate dean of libraries was talking about “innovation” again, tossing around terms like “digital humanities,” “digital transformation,” and “virtual reality.” The library staff had grown numb to these speeches, in no small part because the talks were usually accompanied by a lack of follow-through. The associate dean would get all hot and bothered when some new project came around, only to stop giving it attention and resources when he got bored and hopped onto the next new thing. The library had completed three strategic plans in about as many years. The staff eventually realized that performing being innovative was the way to reach their boss and started keeping a lexicon of terms that would be more likely to sway him. Wouldn’t your project be better with virtual reality? they would suggest. Meanwhile, the work of keeping the library going and providing services was often ignored. This library tale—an amalgam of stories we’ve heard from professional librarians around the country—highlights how maintenance work can be overlooked and under-resourced in professional settings.”
― Lee Vinsel, The Innovation Delusion: How Our Obsession with the New Has Disrupted the Work That Matters Most