Not-Invented-Here Bias
Most companies run into the Not-Invented-Here (NIH) bias among their employees. NIH refers to the tendency of people to ignore or undervalue ideas that come from outside, simply because it’s not their idea. In academia, the same tendency is known by another name: the “toothbrush theory”. It means everyone wants a toothbrush, everyone (usually) has one, but nobody would ever use someone else’s toothbrush! A gross analogy for sure, but it does convey the point. Scientists encounter the same tendencies in their field. Max Planck, the founder of quantum theory, put it well when he said: “A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it.” I read somewhere that one way to overcome this bias when you want your idea to be accepted is to make it sound like it’s (at least partially) the other guy’s idea! Lead them along until they get to where ...