My gap
happens to be the strength of the person beside me.
Multiple equilibria in coordination games + comparative advantage (Ricardo) + stable matching (Gale-Shapley, 1962): a team's problem is often not a shortage of people, but that matching never happened; and people tend to pair with those similar to themselves (homophily) rather than with complements.
Your gap isn't a flaw, it's someone else's comparative advantage
① Positioning in one line: Let everyone see—my gap happens to be the strength of the person beside me.
02The game-theory core
Multiple equilibria in coordination games + comparative advantage (Ricardo) + stable matching (Gale-Shapley, 1962). A team's problem is often not a shortage of people, but that matching never happened; and people tend to pair with those similar to themselves (homophily) rather than with complements.
Your gap is someone else's comparative advantage.Reference: Ricardo; Gale & Shapley (1962)
03Players / Grouping / Duration / Venue
12–40 players; 30 minutes; indoor + big screen.
07Output · Three reporting layers
A team complementary network (whose high dimension filled whose low dimension) + coverage rate + friend-pairing rate + independent-execution-seat output.
| Report | For whom | Hard constraint |
|---|---|---|
| Personal report | The individual | Visible to the individual only |
| Team report | Team / HR | Aggregated results only, no names |
| Leader report | Decision-makers | No names, no individual raw five-dimension values |
08Consequence mechanic
The score cap for similar pairing is lowered—deliberately: cliquing is mathematically not worth it.
09Ending tiers
Mirror
Complementary network coverage ≥80%, with output from the independent-execution seats too.
You aren't just "all present", you're genuinely matched up.
Iron Armor
All pairs succeed, but most are "friend pairs" rather than "complementary pairs".
Comfortable combinations feel good, but they don't fill the gap.
Unseen
Cliques form into small circles, and no one fills the gap dimension.
Your gap isn't a flaw, it's someone else's opportunity; the team's problem is that matching never happened.
10Three lines of insight
Your gap doesn't need to be filled—it just needs to be matched.
A team doesn't need all 16 types present, but the five dimensions must not be missing a corner.
When hiring, look at the gap dimension first, not the résumé first.
11Deployment checklist
B4 Complementary Puzzle · Host Rulebook
12–40 players · 30 minutes · indoor + big screen · complementary pairing + collaboration task
04Rules & steps (with timing)
- 0–5 min Distribute radar charts: each person receives their own five-dimension radar chart + a "gap card" (the dimension the team currently most lacks, made public to all).
- 5–18 min Seek a complementary pair freely: each person pairs at most once; the criterion must be dimensionally complementary (one side's high dimension = the other's low dimension).
- 18–25 min Collaboration task: the paired two complete a 3-minute task together, scored into the team total; the unpaired enter the "independent-execution seat" and complete another form of task alone (also able to score).
- 25–30 min Display: complementary network diagram + coverage rate + "friend-pairing rate" (the share paired with a highly similar partner).
05In-game currency and payout table
| Combination | Score |
|---|---|
| Complementary pair, task completed | 10 points |
| Complementary pair, task not completed | 4 points |
| Similar pair (two highs on the same dimension) | 5 points (capped at 2 pairs / group) |
| Independent-execution seat completes the task | 7 points |
| Unpaired and not in an independent seat | 0 points |
06Observation points and signal table
| id | Behavior description | Weight |
|---|---|---|
initiate | Proactively approaches others, persists after rejection | Connection +2, Courage +2 |
wait | Waits in place for others to come | Connection −1, Courage −1 |
similar | Pairs with someone highly similar | Connection +1, Growth −2 |
complement | Pairs with a complement | Wisdom +2, Growth +2 |
darksolo | Proactively opts for the independent-execution seat and gives a reason | Responsibility +2, Wisdom +1 |
rejected | Gives up pairing after being rejected | Courage −2, Connection −1 |
bridge | Helps two left-out people meet each other | Connection +3 |
math | During discussion, works out that "complementary sum > each one's own best" | Wisdom +3 |
Dimensions: Connection / Wisdom / Growth / Courage / Responsibility.
—Host script
- "There is only one criterion for pairing: your high dimension is exactly the other's low dimension. Someone like you doesn't count as a complement."
- "Those who don't pair up needn't panic—the independent-execution seat also scores, 7 points, higher than a similar pair."
- "At the end we'll see a chart: who filled whose gap. Where no one fills the gap, that patch stays empty."
07Output · Three reporting layers
A team complementary network (whose high dimension filled whose low dimension) + coverage rate + friend-pairing rate + independent-execution-seat output.
| Report | For whom | Content | Hard constraint |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal report | The individual | Five dimensions / 16 types / six-decision-dimension radar / blind-spot list / ending tier / insight | Visible to the individual only |
| Team report | Team / HR | Team personality map + complementary network + cooperation decay curve + three metrics | Aggregated results only, no names |
| Leader report | Decision-makers | Three charts + five metrics + structural and risk conclusions | No names, no individual raw five-dimension values |