Agreed. The benefits of their idea working out are huge, but so is the personal negative impact of it failing -- even if the outcome for the company is better.

Agreed. The benefits of their idea working out are huge, but so is the personal negative impact of it failing -- even if the outcome for the company is better. A lot of people also find it really difficult to admit they were wrong, even to themselves. This means as an idea starts emerging as suboptimal, the people that came up with and championed it are going to be the last to see that, and will be pushing for it despite what look like clear flaws. This is probably better explained by the gambler's fallacy than Ikea effect, though.