Not invented here (NIH) is the tendency to avoid using or buying products,
research, standards, or knowledge from external origins. It is usually adopted by social,
corporate
A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and re ...
, or institutional cultures. Research illustrates a strong bias against ideas from the outside.
The reasons for not wanting to use the work of others are varied, but can include a desire to support a local economy instead of
paying royalties to a foreign
license-holder, fear of
patent infringement
Patent infringement is the commission of a prohibited act with respect to a patented invention without permission from the patent holder. Permission may typically be granted in the form of a license. The definition of patent infringement may v ...
, lack of understanding of the foreign work, an unwillingness to acknowledge or value the work of others, jealousy,
belief perseverance
Belief perseverance (also known as conceptual conservatism) is maintaining a belief despite new information that firmly contradicts it. Such beliefs may even be strengthened when others attempt to present evidence debunking them, a phenomenon kno ...
, or forming part of a wider
turf war
A turf war is a fight over territory or resources, or may refer to:
Music
* ''Turf Wars'', a 2007 album by the Canadian band Daggermouth
* "Turf War", a song on the 2001 album '' Filmtracks 2000'' by American composer Bill
Television
* '' Turf ...
. As a social phenomenon, this tendency can manifest itself as an unwillingness to adopt an idea or product because it originates from another culture, a form of
tribalism and/or an inadequate effort in choosing the right approach for the business.
The term is typically used in a
pejorative
A pejorative or slur is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or a disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hostility, or disregard. Sometimes, a ...
sense. The opposite predisposition is sometimes called "proudly found elsewhere" (PFE)
or "invented elsewhere".
In computing
In computer programming, "NIH syndrome" refers to the belief that in-house developments are inherently better suited, more secure, more controlled, quicker to develop, and incur lower
overall cost
Overalls, also called bib-and-brace overalls or dungarees, are a type of garment usually used as protective clothing when working. The garments are commonly referred to as a "pair of overalls" by analogy with "pair of trousers".
Overalls were ...
(including
maintenance cost
The technical meaning of maintenance involves functional checks, servicing, repairing or replacing of necessary devices, equipment, machinery, building infrastructure, and supporting utilities in industrial, business, and residential installa ...
) than using existing implementations.
In some cases, software with the same functionality as an existing one is re-implemented just to allow the use of a different
software license. One approach to doing so is
clean room design
Clean-room design (also known as the Chinese wall technique) is the method of copying a design by reverse engineering and then recreating it without infringing any of the copyrights associated with the original design. Clean-room design is use ...
.
See also
References
{{Fallacies
Anti-patterns
Appeals to emotion
Economics of intellectual property
Cognitive biases