This Director’s Note was originally published in the June 2018 edition of the CACHE Newsletter.
I am an engineer and a researcher, and so the culture around me demands innovation. What will I do that’s new? What will I offer today…next class…next project? I’m in a Western culture that emphasizes continuous selfimprovement, so I aspire to evolve not only in my products, but also in myself. Our aspirations are heavily centered around change: “We want students who will make a difference.”
The question we rarely ask is “What do I want to keep?” We can see that “keeping” instinct as soon as we encounter the actual people who might be affected by our work. Sure, change is OK, but please let me keep my rhythm, my convenience, my independence. But I think of all the words that imply keeping—retention, preservation, and (horrors!) maintenance—and I’d never put them in a research proposal.
Let me suggest some different words: Value. Treasure. Embrace. For us humans, keeping what we value – that is, conservation – is stronger than the drive for innovation. Marketers know this, and researchers should too. How does innovation enable people to keep what they cherish? Answering that question is the core of CACHE’s mission. I’m bad at it. Evolution versus conservation feels like a swinging pendulum for me, rather than trees growing entwined. Keep talking.
Best, Tami
