Not Invented Here Syndrome (NIHS). Haven’t heard of it? NIHS is the tendency for self-proclaimed “innovators” to immediately reject any solutions, inventions, ideas or products originating outside the organization, especially from independent product designers. Often, NIHS begins as a benign reluctance to outside ideas. But outbreaks of widespread paranoia are all too common. Once NIHS spreads into group thinking, a company, especially a retail consumer products company, is headed for a slow, painful demise.

Symptoms: Companies and individuals with NIHS develop a similar pathology to the psychological signs of denial and self-delusion. Some individuals exhibit obvious symptoms, but typically, symptoms become obscured en masse.

• Swearing – “S**t. Why didn’t I think of that?” is the most common outward expression of this symptom. Smacking of the forehead or banging the head against a wall may also occur.
• Innovation Arrogance – Once presented with a better idea, individuals with underlying inferiority complexes express a blatant disregard for anyone external or any external idea’s value. This can exhibit as cynicism, or, in extreme cases, as subversive actions to undermine anything new.
• Hostile Defensiveness – Fearful that new ideas will cause obsolescence or reveal a lack of creativity, paranoia sets in. Territorialism, protectionism, the digging in of heels, and the refusal to do what’s best for the organization unless credit can be taken personally, are all signs of defensiveness.
• Reinventing the Wheel – This symptom can be fatal for an organization if the unnecessary costs of RTW exceed resources or time to market. Further complications can arise when RTW is impeded by insurmountable patent and copyright conflicts.
• Smothering Innovation – If NIHS starts or spreads into the upper echelons of a division or a company, it is usually fatal. Anyone with a sense of self-preservation will avoid sharing any new ideas, no matter how promising. Abundance of consensus and head nodding in meetings is a sure sign that innovation is being stifled.

Diagnosis: No company or individual is immune to NIHS, so self-diagnosis is difficult. Watch carefully for any of the above symptoms.

Treatments/Antidote: Because NIHS is a serious contagion and can plague an entire organization, if symptoms appear, seek immediate treatment.

• Mind-opening Exercises – Invite in outsiders. Bring a reasonable, mutual non-disclosure and an open mind. Outside perspectives and viewpoints may broaden your mind and prevent NIHS from taking hold.
• Confronting Fear – Because outsiders aren’t on the payroll, their ideas are open market. Developing a healthy fear that competitors might get it is a good thing. Ask the question, “can I compete against this?” If the answer is “no” or “not yet,” consider the risks of entering the RTW (Re-inventing the Wheel) stage.
• House-Cleaning Intervention – If the disease has progressed to project teams, division or upper management, drastic and desperate measures are required. The only antidote to rampant organizational NIHS may be complete eradication of the afflicted. In the 1980s, Herman Miller kicked out its entire in-house industrial design staff. They believed that when unencumbered with daily demands, designers were more likely to experience that flash of genius that yields unexpected but relevant solutions, not to mention a greater vested interest in the market success of their products.