History of ideas and the concept of innovation

This post is not really to talk about something specific, but to ask for information. For quite some time now it has been puzzling to me how the concept of innovation permeates contemporary society. Definitely in the academic environment I live in, but also in the industry that drives global economy, the lead is frequently taken by those who can come up with something innovative that have practical value. This concept is so pervasive, that it is easy to take it at face value and assume that this idolatry of innovation has always been in place or even is nowadays everywhere.

This is very likely not true. Several societies not only praise old traditions but also strongly urge their members to simply follow traditions. Perhaps more important, it is hard to believe that our contemporary concept of innovation has always been the way people previously thought about innovation. Has it always been so central to development? Has it always been so driven toward practical purposes? The answer is probably not, but it would be interesting to see a formal study on a history of ideas focused on the concept of innovation. History of ideas here is characterized in its meaning originally given by the brilliant historian Arthur Lovejoy. In a brief and acknowledgedly shallow search I could not find any formal history of ideas studies on innovation, but would be interested in hearing from somebody who might have seen such a study. If it doesn't exist, maybe this is something we should start working on at some point.