Not invented here
The Not - invented-here syndrome ( NIH abbreviation, German not invented here ) describes pejoratively failure to comply with already existing knowledge by companies or institutions due to the emergence of place.
" The NIH syndrome represents an attitude towards the acquisition of external knowledge, which assumes a more negative expression than would be required on the basis of economic considerations. The NIH syndrome often arises due to insufficient or unsatisfactory experiences in the process of acquisition of external knowledge, which leads to an aversion to this. "
The problem is a consequence of groupthink. In a make-or- buy decision NIH causes the preference for a self-constructed. This may be associated with higher costs and a longer period of time, but can also have the positive effect not to disturb established processes and to train their own abilities.
" To the NIH syndrome must be overcome over the years appropriated behavior patterns and attitudes to be revised. The resulting allowed acquisition of external knowledge leads to an elevation of untapped potential. "
Examples
Dan Ariely quoted Mark Twain in his essay Some national stupidities as early reference to this topic:
" How long does it takes to be a part of the world takes over the useful ideas of another part, takes a wonderful and inexplicable. This kind of stupidity is no community, no nation is limited; it is universal. The fact is that people do not need very long to take useful ideas - sometimes they insist also adamant they spurn all. [ ... ] "
In the practical affairs of business life, however, is often a certain amount of " copycat " mentality determine which seems to contradict the above, on a superficial observation. This means that companies that are interested in using foreign technical knowledge, which is protected by other patents and / or utility models ignore these rights. Do not Tread not a license request to the holder of property rights approach, even if this would be willing to licensing under reasonable conditions, so offering licensing under certain circumstances even. Rather, the foreign intellectual property is simply imitated free. Is particularly pronounced in such conduct against the so-called independent inventors, thus protecting rightholders who are not employed depends in a company. A major reason for this is the one of the characteristic of the NIH syndrome envy of the potential licensee ( and actual imitator ) compared to the right holder, which it is not indulged, to have made the invention and it gained even one patent and / or utility. The imitators will naturally by his conduct patent or Gebrauchsmusterverletzer and must expect to be sued by copyright holders for injunctive and damages. Secondly, the imitators often leaves it to be " caught " too late or not (in which he not infrequently succeeds ). In a pinch, he has also the - in many cases successful - way to the foreign protection law with appropriate legal tools (opposition or nullity action or utility model cancellation action ) to attack and eliminate them. NIH syndrome and from it - at least partially - resulting copycat mentality that is detrimental to the license beings and thus the wide use of technical knowledge. They block also creative minds in their motivation to develop new ideas and make them accessible to the public.
Another example of the NIH syndrome is the Apollo program NASA. It was recognized there that departments do not communicate adequately with each other. The conclusion of the top NASA Managementes was that the safety of the astronauts could not be guaranteed if you did not overcome the NIH syndrome. As a countermeasure, special jobs were created and staffed by individuals who were assigned to a department established at NASA. From the very owners of those sites and is still to meet to commute between departments and information back and parading, bringing the respective executors made especially popular at any time the task. But sure it did not arrive. What mattered was that they affected the reliability of the projects strongly positive. Nevertheless, it was still occasionally to margins. Thus, the outer skin has been modified without voting this modification with the Department aerodynamics on Skylab by the competent construction department. As a result, the panel held the aerodynamic forces during rocket launches when flying through the Earth's atmosphere was not and was badly damaged, with further negative consequences for the project.