Suppose you have two parts that together make a system, but currently they’re a little bit incompatible — they’re puzzle pieces that don’t fit together. A common remedy is to add a third, connecting part which joins the other two. That’s a non-destructive approach. Another remedy is to swap out one (or both of the parts) for a replacement that fits better in the system. Alternatively, there’s an entire suite of other modifications: squeezing, rotating, flipping, stretching and so on. Usually you don’t modify both parts simultaneously, you pick one part (the dominant part) to stay fixed, and you modify the other (the submissive part).
On a recent wintery walk I was thinking about this within the context of gloves. A glove that doesn’t fit: what does one do? You can cut the glove. But you can also cut the hand. To make something work you can mould it or you can mould its environment.