Rather Lack Than Have Excess
Updated 2026-08-22
INTRODUCTION
English translation pending.
CORE DEFINITION
A principle of selection holding that an unfilled position is preferable to one filled by an unsuitable candidate, and by extension that a low-quality supplier or piece of work costs more than the absence it was meant to cover. The reasoning rests on the asymmetry between the cost of a vacancy and the cost of a mismatch. The qualification is that the comparison must be made honestly, since a long vacancy carries costs of its own.
SCAFFOLDING EFFECT
Reduce cognitive load
- Use Standard Hold: keep the hiring or quality bar fixed when the pressure to fill is greatest. - Use Mismatch Costing: estimate the downstream work an unsuitable addition would create.
Anchor fast decisions
A vacancy imposes a known and bounded cost, while a poor addition imposes costs that multiply, since the wrong person or supplier generates rework, lowers the standard others are held to, and occupies the slot a better candidate would have taken.
MINIMUM ACTION
In progress 0/1Practice this model in one real situation:
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Source support: Explicit
- zh.wikipedia.orghttps://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%B7%A6%E4%BC%A0verified
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