Not-invented-here Research Articles

Transmission Companies: A Summary of the Issues

You may not realize it, from the d iscussions, but peo ple in ot hercountries use electricity. They, too, have t ran sm ission systems . Theyhave set up diffe rent means of ow ning, regu lating or ope ra ting thesenetworks . Yet the ligh t bulbs con tin ue to shine . Americans, however, tend to suffer from the NIH (not inventedhere) syndrome, so they often struggle through the process of reinvent-ing the wheel. When the government enters the picture, and all thestakeholders get into the act to make sure that nobody gores their oxen,the reform effort turns convoluted, and the resulting product does notfollow the dictates of the medieval philosopher William of Occam,which was keep it simple, stupid", but rather Rube Goldberg , the designerof convoluted contraptions, such as the ISO, 50, let's try to simplify theissues,

Audio-visual materials and the curriculum—a key development?

Educational technology, with its highly structured use of carefully prepared learning materials, has been around now for 40 years. In that time, millions of pounds have been poured into it in a worldwide effort to improve the quality of teaching and the efficiency of learning. While the technical quality of what is now available is undeniably improved, its impact has been less than radical. Will the possession of expensive hardware, proliferative software, and reasonably well-trained support professionals have any. marked effect on schools of nursing? The answer—in the short term—is probably no. Given the small proportion of time students spend in school, it is unreasonable to expect qualitative results. But in the long term it is quite possible that an emphasis on these issues will quickly uncover more basic questions—curricular questions which could have far-reaching effects on nurse training. And as we move through the 80s, faced with the computer revolution, where a low-priced pocket computer game contains the entire primary mathematics syllabus—what price the syllabus of nurse training? The hope is that the coming decade will offer better, more flexible vehicles for training—but the suggestion is that to make the most productive use of developments, some degree of standardisation is necessary. Whether the nursing profession can move away from the NIH (‘not invented here’) syndrome to embrace the possibilities of the 80s remains to be seen.

Managing on today's technical fast track

After a most productive two decades in the 1950's and 1960's, the 1970's were something of a dark age for technology in the United States. However, the 1980's show signs of a renaissance, and the following are cited as encouraging signs: investment is on the rise, Washington is adopting a new set of values, there is increasing evidence of a marketing orientation by engineers, the NIH (not invented here) syndrome is on the decline, and there is an expanding pool of engineers. The associated opportunities place additional responsibilities on engineering managers. Doing the job yourself is one thing; persuading others to do it is another. This calls for real leadership in the management of our resources — time, money and people. This is the challenge ahead for engineering managers.

Investigating the Not Invented Here (NIH) syndrome: A look at the performance, tenure, and communication patterns of 50 R & D Project Groups

AbstractThe study, carried out in a large laboratory, shows that performance increases up to 1. 5 years tenure, stays steady for a time but by five years has declined noticeably. This tendency is best accounted for by the marked decline in communication rate among group members and between them and critical external sources of information. The authors analyse the significance of this finding and suggest means of maintaining the vitality of long‐standing project teams.The study, carried out in a large laboratory, shows that performance increases up to 1. 5 years tenure, stays steady for a time but by five years has declined noticeably. This tendency is best accounted for by the marked decline in communication rate among group members and between them and critical external sources of information. The authors analyse the significance of this finding and suggest means of maintaining the vitality of long‐standing project teams.

Logic and Illogic in Engineering and Management

Illogic resulting from emotional thinking may be found at all levels of engineering. Typical instances are the NIH (not invented here) factor, wishful thinking, self-protection, and half-hearted compromises. Methods of the engineering supervisor or manager for filtering out the emotionally inspired illogic in order to reach clear decisions are presented. These range from defining the basic problem to making a balance sheet and weighing both tangible and intangible factors. Also discussed are some principles for removing the incentives for emotional thinking. One of the most prominent of these is the promotion of a desire to work for a common goal by organization which provides clear and nonconflicting responsibilities, and by increased identification with the company.