Acknowledging and overcoming ‘not invented here syndrome’ to drive innovation

At a time when there is huge innovation external to the organisation – generative AI and its various applications, for example – now is not the time for organisations to fall foul of ‘not invented here syndrome’.

This is defined as “the tendency to avoid using or buying products, research, standards, or knowledge from external origins.” (Wikipedia)

Dismissing external ideas can limit innovation and therefore business success and there is research that suggests this is exactly what happens. This article takes a look at how to overcome not invented here syndrome and how you can overcome internal blockers. The piece provides examples of organisations, such as pharma companies, that incentivise this outward focus to ensure ideas external to the organisation are not missed.

At Insights Media, we echo this focus on monitoring ideas and trends external to the organisation and it is integral to our work in gathering customer and market insights to inform our clients’ decision making process.

Photo by Andrea Piacquadio