Not-Invented-Here Syndrome
🇳🇴Ikke-oppfunnet-her-syndrometDefinition
Not-invented-here (NIH) syndrome is the tendency to reject external ideas, products, or solutions in favor of internal ones, even when the external alternative is objectively better. The source weighs more heavily than the quality.
Real-world example
Katz and Allen (1982) studied 50 R&D teams and found that long-tenured teams systematically devalued outside ideas and drew more and more input from their own circle. Code quality and innovation dropped over time.
Examples are everywhere: companies building their own frameworks instead of using established open-source libraries, government agencies developing internal software that already exists off the shelf, or executive teams rejecting consultant reports because 'they don't understand us.'
Supplementary perspective
NIH stems from a mix of ownership feelings, IKEA effect, status threats, and legitimate concerns about dependency and control. Some concerns are valid – but NIH means the alternative isn't even properly evaluated before being dismissed.
Practical advice
Recognize
- —Notice if 'it doesn't fit us' comes before a real analysis of the alternative.
- —Watch for arguments about origin rather than quality.
- —Check whether the team has built something that already exists externally.
Counteract
- —Require an open comparison: list internal vs. external solution against the same criteria.
- —Set a 'buy before you build' rule that has to be actively overridden.
- —Invite someone outside the team to challenge the decision to build in-house.
Ethical use
- —In procurement: evaluate external expertise with the same rigor as internal proposals.
- —In leadership: reward teams that reuse external solutions, not just those who build from scratch.
- —In public sector: document why in-house development was chosen over off-the-shelf.