Focus on formalism issues: learn and make good use of the basic skill of investigation and research to carry out | formalism | cadres | masses | problems | research | research | investigation
Investigation and research are the heirlooms of our party. In March of this year, the General Office of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China issued the "Work Plan on the Revitalization of Investigation and Research throughout the Party", proposing that the revitalization of investigation and research throughout the Party is an important part of the theme education carried out throughout the Party. Party organizations at all levels, as well as Party members and cadres, actively go deep into the frontline at the grassroots level in accordance with the requirements of the Party Central Committee's deployment, conduct solid investigations and research, and devote themselves to practical work, seeking practical recruitment, and seeking practical results.
However, some grassroots cadres, readers, and netizens have also reported that some party members and cadres regard investigation and research as a task that they have to deal with. They only skim on the surface, skim on the surface, and take a quick glance, avoiding problems and ignoring contradictions. These formalistic "investigation and research" not only deviate from the requirements of investigation and research to solve real problems, but also make grassroots cadres and the masses tired of dealing with them.
When conducting research, attention should be paid to overcoming formalism issues such as fleeting light and fleeting thoughts
In order to receive the research team from the province, the village has been busy since over a month ago. Recently, a resident cadre reported in a letter about the situation of receiving the research team in the village. According to him, the route taken by the research team, the locations visited, and the key points that need to be introduced were carefully arranged early on, and all the preparations in the village were also carried out around this route.
Only the necessary roads along the survey route were cleaned, only the houses and courtyard walls along the route were painted, and some representative and visiting landmarks were relocated to the route as a whole. The masses and families passing through the route were given surprise training in case of sudden inquiries... "The entire survey became a 'real-life performance' where each person performed their own duties and followed the procedures," said the resident cadre.
Investigation and research are the foundation of planning and the way to success. Without investigation, there is no right to speak, and without investigation, there is no decision-making power. Survey and research were originally an important means of gaining a deeper understanding of social conditions and public opinion, and improving the level of scientific decision-making. However, some party members and cadres have not realized the importance of survey and research. When conducting surveys, there are formalistic problems such as not being aware of the situation, fleeting thoughts, and superficial thoughts.
Xiao Zhang is a grassroots cadre in a certain "star town", where on average, he receives dozens of research and inspection teams from all over the country every year. "Since the beginning of this year, the number of research teams has doubled, with reception tasks almost every day," said Xiao Zhang. Most research teams come sincerely to learn from experience, but there are also those who "check in" to complete research tasks. "We are following the classic route, looking at model projects, and not asking in detail about the specific development ideas and experience in solving problems. I don't know if this kind of research is inspiring, but the research task has been completed," said Xiao Zhang.
The Work Plan clearly states that it is necessary to adhere to the Party's mass line, come from and go to the masses, enhance feelings with the people, sincerely listen to the voices of the masses, truly reflect their wishes, genuinely care about their suffering, consciously learn from the masses and practice, obtain correct understanding from the creative practice of the people, and turn the Party's correct propositions into conscious actions of the masses. However, in some places and units, investigation and research that should have been conducted to address and solve problems have been alienated into "material research".
A reader has reported in a letter that a certain place is conducting investigations and research, but instead of conducting on-site visits at the grassroots level, they are requesting a large amount of materials from the grassroots level. The materials provided by only one unit are packed in several boxes. Similar to this, without going to the site or conducting on-site inspections, instead of relying on "material circulation" and "layer by layer reporting" instead of "investigation and research" in the office, the grassroots bear a heavy burden and cannot obtain valuable information, ultimately leading to formalism.
Some research teams are detached from the masses, depending on their level and accompanying them. It seems that the larger the scale, the more important it is. "Our research team consists of about 20 people, but there are more than 50 accompanying personnel. Every day, six or seven minibuses drive by in a grand manner. The itinerary is fully arranged, and we have to travel seven or eight places a day. At each point, everyone cheers around the tour guide, and those who are slightly away do not even have a signal from the speaker, nor do they know what was said earlier." A provincial government official said that the research team is too large, and each person can only give a rough explanation at the symposium. "In the end, we carried a large stack of documents and materials back, cut, cut, integrated and packaged them, and the quality of the final research report can be imagined." "
Investigation and research should have been a good method for exchanging experiences and learning from each other's strengths and weaknesses, but some cadres cannot let go of their pride or put down their airs, turning humbly consulted research into guidance at their discretion. A university professor who had previously been seconded to a local government said, "Once, a higher-level unit conducted a survey on the revision of a local regulation, and everyone put forward some revision suggestions at a symposium. As a result, the cadres who came to the survey couldn't sit still and said to the person who provided suggestions, 'You don't understand at all. I've been working on this job for more than 20 years, and I understand it the best.' With these words, no one dared to express their opinions, and in the end, a commendation meeting was held."
Individual places and units should be prevented from following routine reception and research methods, which may be difficult to achieve practical results and cause difficulties for grassroots communities
In interviews, many grassroots cadres believed that the formalism issues in the investigation posed great harm. Not only did they fail to effectively implement the goals, intentions, and requirements of the investigation, causing harm to the people and wasting time and energy, but they also affected the work attitude and methods of party members and cadres. "The fine traditions of the party have not been inherited and developed, but have instead caused damage.".
Professor Cao Li, Deputy Director of the Economics Department of the Central Party School, has participated in many research activities. In her opinion, there are some manifestations of formalism in the research: for example, lack of focus, "stepping on watermelon peel, where you slide is where you go"; Not deep, floating on the surface, pretending and walking through the scene; Without research, without deep thinking, what you see is what you see; Without conversion, conducting research for the sake of research cannot solve the real problem.
"Daxing's investigation and research is because the current reform, development, and stability are facing many deep-seated contradictions, and various risks, challenges, and difficulties are more severe and complex than before. It is urgent to grasp the essence and laws of things through investigation and research, and find ways and paths to solve problems. Cao Li said that investigation and research is the process of obtaining first-hand information and understanding the real problem." To achieve the desired effect of investigation and research, we must go out of the office, go deep into the grassroots, and eliminate formalism. "
A community cadre stated that the root cause of the varying degrees of formalism in some surveys and research lies in inadequate subjective understanding. "We only know that our superiors require us to conduct surveys and research, but we have not seriously considered why we need to conduct surveys and research, what goals we need to achieve, what key research contents we need to focus on, and how to implement the survey requirements. We just want to complete the task as soon as possible."
"Some young cadres, after following a survey team that looked around a few times, believe that the investigation and research is ineffective and worthless. They do not attach importance to the mass line in their thinking and do not attach importance to investigation and research in their work. They sit in the office all day reading documents and computers. What real problems can they see and come up with good ideas?" Li Hongli, a reader from Luoyang, Henan, said that in-depth investigation and research at the grassroots level is an effective way to hone the "insight" of party members and cadres in discovering problems. The key is to pay attention to seeking truth and pragmatism in the research, and effectively break formalism.
In addition to subjective neglect and inadequate understanding, insufficient abilities and lack of understanding of methods are also important reasons for the formalism problem in survey research. Some party members and cadres are not proficient in investigation and research, and have not mastered effective work methods. After going to the grassroots, they only grasp their eyebrows and beard, unable to distinguish between primary and secondary, and the effectiveness of research is naturally greatly reduced.
The superior's inability to conduct research also leads to subordinates being passive in dealing with it. In some places and units, reception research has even formed a fixed pattern and is carried out according to routines. These formalistic issues seriously deviate from the original intention of conducting investigations and research. They not only make it difficult to achieve practical results, but also bring troubles to the grassroots and affect the relationship between cadres and the masses.
"Investigation and research are the basic skills for doing various work well. If you don't master them well, it's impossible to delve into reality and understand reality, and decision-making will go wrong." Zhang Hengyu, a reader from Yancheng, Jiangsu, said that investigation and research cannot be done easily and superficially. Focusing only on the surface and trying to make comparisons can easily lead to formalism, even adulteration and falsehood, causing new problems. "True investigation and research cannot tolerate formalism. Only by conducting in-depth investigation and research can we see real scenes, hear the voices of the masses, and discover existing problems."
Only by delving deep enough can we discover the urgent and difficult problems faced by the masses, and bring good deeds and practical matters to the hearts of the masses
Not long ago, Xiangdong District of Pingxiang City, Jiangxi Province conducted a survey and research with the goal of solving the urgent and difficult problems faced by the masses. "We found during our visits that the promotion of online and handheld government services has indeed brought a lot of convenience to handling medical insurance business online. However, it is difficult for the public to communicate and interact with the staff face-to-face. Some insured individuals, especially the elderly, cannot operate it and cannot seek face-to-face help from medical insurance staff. Some medical insurance business requires submission of paper materials and facial recognition, and must be processed through physical windows, which is very inconvenient for some remote rural residents," said Peng Qimin, director of the Xiangdong District Medical Insurance Bureau.
In order to solve this pain point and difficult problem, Xiangdong District has created a "Medical Insurance Video Office" service zone, extending "online office" to "video office". The public can handle business through video connection with staff, and staff use functions such as real name authentication, screenshots, material annotation, and file transmission to guide the public in handling related business, effectively solving the problem of some people not knowing how to do it or not having time to do it. The "Medical Insurance Video Office" service area has been online for less than a month, serving hundreds of people and receiving likes and welcome from the public.
"Whether to conduct real research or fake research depends on whether the problem can be discovered and truly solved." Cao Li said that before conducting research activities, the first step is to do a good job of homework, determine the purpose and direction of the research, and not blindly; Secondly, it is necessary to focus precisely and identify the root cause of the problem through investigation and research. "Investigation and research is a time-consuming and energetic task, and conducting investigation and research requires a deep and composed mind. Only by delving deep enough can we discover the urgent and difficult problems of the masses, and bring good and practical things to the hearts of the masses."
Daishan Avenue is a major transportation artery in Bishan District, Chongqing, with a total length of 32 kilometers and eight lanes in both directions, running north-south through the Bishan urban area. "Previously, Daishan Avenue did not have a central isolation facility, there were too many side openings, and the signs and markings were not perfect, resulting in multiple traffic accidents and becoming a stubborn accident prone section." Jiang Zhiquan, Deputy Commander of the Traffic Patrol Brigade of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau, said that in order to completely solve this problem, the Traffic Patrol Brigade of the Chongqing Public Security Bureau conducted multiple surveys on this section, comprehensively analyzed the causes of the accidents, and formulated targeted solutions. The Bishan District Committee and Government attach great importance to this, increase investment in security, and promote the implementation and detailed investigation of key road safety hazards in the entire district.
In response to the phenomenon of vehicles turning around randomly, a central isolation barrier is installed throughout the entire process, reducing the number of turning points by 20 and achieving physical isolation throughout the entire road section; In response to traffic chaos caused by a large number of vehicles and intersections, an adaptive control system for intersection signals is adopted to achieve intelligent linkage of traffic signals at various locations; In response to various traffic violations such as speeding, facilities and equipment such as interval and fixed-point speed measurement and electronic police have been added, and various traffic signs and safety signs have been improved. Since April this year, the number of truck traffic accidents on Daishan Avenue has decreased by 83.3% year-on-year, and the road traffic order has significantly improved.
"The process of investigation and research is a transformation from theoretical learning to practical application, as well as a process of improving job performance and enhancing responsibility, or a process of transforming work style and improving work quality and efficiency." Jiang Zhiquan deeply felt that investigation and research must gather the "target" towards the urgent and difficult problems of the masses, respond to and solve their concerns in a timely manner.
In an interview, a grassroots cadre stated, "One important reason for the existence of formalism in research and investigation is that practicing formalism has its benefits and no impact. If all the hardships experienced in practicing formalism are the same, such problems will naturally decrease."
Cao Li suggested that a scientific and reasonable assessment and evaluation standard system should be established for investigation and research work. From formulating plans, conducting research, deepening research, and supervising follow-up visits, there should be detailed and specific indicator requirements, in order to motivate and supervise party members and cadres to carry out investigation and research work seriously. "Investigation and research is a fine tradition of our party, not just an activity, and should be carried out on a regular basis," Cao Li said.
