On their blog, Google just publicly asked for help developing management tools for the AdWords program. It's a bold and brilliant idea and not unheard of in today's "open source" world.

What strikes me, though, is that they go right at the heart of the matter by addressing the whole "Not Invented Here" attitude that tarnishes product development efforts at so many companies. Any product development group that thinks they have all the good ideas doesn't. Rejecting external creativity is a narrow path that leads nowhere. As Google puts it:

In our experience, it's better to wear "Not Invented Here" as a badge of honor than as a chip on your shoulder.