From “People systematically overlook subtractive changes,” published in Nature back in 2021:
Participants were less likely to identify advantageous subtractive changes when the task did not (versus did) cue them to consider subtraction, when they had only one opportunity (versus several) to recognize the shortcomings of an additive search strategy or when they were under a higher (versus lower) cognitive load. Defaulting to searches for additive changes may be one reason that people struggle to mitigate overburdened schedules, institutional red tape, and damaging effects on the planet.
In so many cases, the easiest, cheapest solution to a problem is to simplify. It’s just so hard to remember/realize/acknowledge that–especially at an organizational or regulatory level–without skin in the game.