Among the ugly sins repeated since childhood, the flight is in good position. Son of dishonesty and lies, it is defined by the penal code as “the fraudulent subtraction of the thing of others”. Supervised by negative – villainous, fraudulent adjectives -, it remains in common language through qualifiers today obsolete – “robbery”, “chicken thief” -, but there remains a centerpiece of popular morality: “which steals an egg flies”. In the world of thought and creation, this materiality becomes intangible, however. “Landering the merits of someone else’s idea puts a lot of people angry. In fact, this practice is considered unacceptable from an early age: research has shown that children disapprove of plagiarism from the age of five, recalls The Economist. And things do not manage with the transition to adulthood: 80 % of employees claim to have been victims of theft of work ideas (Ideanote survey, ideas management platform, November 2023).
This phenomenon could however be less malicious than it seems. “Psychologists have long been studying a phenomenon called ‘cryptomnesia’, which consists in inadvertently placing the ideas of others. Some people can appropriate merit without even realizing it,” points out The Economist. All the more, adds the British daily life, that “innovation rarely takes the form of an entirely new idea; it rather recombins existing ideas. And people often arrive at the same conclusions regardless of each other”. An element to take into consideration therefore, before making a scandal.
But what type of “thieves” are we talking about? There are the “real”, and there are the “false”, according to Lillien Ellis, assistant professor at the Darden School of Business of the University of Virginia. The latter designate “people known to rely on the ideas of others – while openly recognizing these contributions -; they often manage to weave stronger professional links and to establish a climate of trust”. Film remakes are a good example since the origin of the concept is then recognized and respected. Conversely, estimates the expert, the real “thieves of ideas” arouse much more negative reactions than those accused of theft of money.
Worse than microfaler
For Clémentine*, this thief takes the features of her manager, to whom she had submitted a daring communication plan. “A few days later, he presented my project as his … after deleting my name,” she recalls. The idea is a success, but her initiator says nothing. “I was frustrated but what could I do? He is my superior.” Finally, the truth bursts: “I have a particular style, and we recognized my paw. When the customer asked me the question, I did not denote”. A far from isolated case: for 33 % of employees, the thief of ideas is considered to be the most “embarrassing” personality in the office – in front of the microfaler and the service complaint (Kickresume survey, June 2024). This type of behavior “undermines the team spirit and creates an environment where people feel undervalued”. He can also establish “a toxic working environment where no one feels safe to share innovative ideas”, underlines the Kickresume career management site.
“We [NDLR : avec Brian Lucas de l’Université Cornell] We have discovered that thieves of ideas prefer to act at an early stage of their development, when these ideas are still unfinished, “explains Lillien Ellis. Hence the importance, for employees, to remain discreet. What about brainstorming sessions?” They can be very effective in generating new ideas and stimulating innovation within the teams “, analyzes the expert. But his research also shows that individuals are developing a strong attachment to their ideas. Who grows as they invest in time and reflection.
The researcher also recommends that the company establish clear cultural rules concerning the authorship of ideas and their implementation, because in addition to the ethical dimension, the theft of ideas “can break confidence and lead to heavy relational consequences”. Moreover, 93 % of employees suspect their colleagues from having been promoted by appropriating good ideas (Ideanote survey). For Lillien Ellis, “tackling the question of theft of ideas is essential to maintain confidence, retaining talents and creating an environment where creative ideas can develop”.
*The first name has been changed
.