not invented here
Reject outside ideas
Not invented here describes a bias against adopting ideas, products, or solutions that originated outside one's own organization or group.
The phrase captures a kind of institutional pride or defensiveness that leads people to reject or reinvent perfectly good external solutions simply because they didn't create them.
The engineering team dismissed the open-source library—classic not invented here syndrome.
It's often shortened to NIH, especially in tech and business contexts.
- syndromeLinked symptoms forming pattern
- insularityNarrow detachment from broader views
- silo mentalityRefusal to share across units
- rejectionDenial of acceptance
- attitudeSettled way of thinking
phenomenon · turf wars · aversion · echo chambers · mindset · disdain · tribalism · closed shop · dismissal · prejudice · exclusion · distrust · cognitive dissonance · skepticism · groupthink · slippery slope · homegrown · inside job
not invented hereopen-mindedness
Acceptance of differing viewpoints
cosmopolitanism · eclecticism · intellectual humility · pragmatism · internationalism
not invented hereknowledge sharing
Transferring expertise between people
crowdsourcing · open standards · community-driven · cross-pollination · interoperability
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