Mismatch Between Process Latencies: How the Fastest Stage of a Process Can Become the Clock for Judging the Slowest

This conceptual paper introduces Mismatch Between Process Latencies, the mechanism by which stages such as transmission, comprehension, decision, and effect unfold at different speeds, while a faster stage sets the schedule for judging a slower one. Results may then be demanded before the effects under examination could have become observable. The paper distinguishes effects that are not yet observable from effects that are absent. Frequent review alone does not establish a mismatch: an evaluation can assess mature activities or acknowledge that slower effects remain pending. The proposed standard asks whether evaluation timing matches the latency of what is being assessed and whether any mismatch is made explicit. The account is related to Stein’s model of managerial short-termism and illustrated through Graham, Harvey, and Rajgopal’s survey and interviews with financial executives. Their reported willingness to sacrifice value or delay projects to meet earnings targets documents perceived pressure from short reporting cycles. The evidence concerns executives’ stated preferences and intentions. Part of the Relational Conditions and Dynamics series within On Human Modeling, the paper provides questions for examining process delays, governing schedules, and control over evaluation. These questions can inform human–AI evaluation where system outputs, human understanding, decisions, and downstream effects unfold on different timescales.