Chapter 2

Promotion beyond the usual ranks is a form of institutional design with academic basis and practical foundation, and should be considered a necessary path for optimizing the selection of party and government leaders.

Promotion beyond the usual ranks is not a "horse-choosing" in the political arena.

Many people view promotion beyond the usual ranks as a subjective and arbitrary method of "selecting people based on individuals" in organizational personnel affairs, which is part of the "unspoken rules" of the political arena. This situation is related to the reality that some leaders use promotion beyond the usual ranks for "rent-seeking" through power. However, from a deeper perspective, it is probably closely related to the fact that people have not elevated the understanding and operation of promotion beyond the usual ranks to the institutional level.

Reform of the cadre personnel system is a key link in the current political reform in China, and is a macro institutional design within the framework of the political system. Promotion beyond the usual ranks of party and government leaders, as an important part of the cadre personnel system, involves micro institutional designs for specific operations such as initial nomination, assessment, and supervision. For this, three points need to be clarified:

First, the core of promotion beyond the usual ranks is still "selecting people based on institutions," not "selecting people based on individuals." In traditional thinking, promotion beyond the usual ranks is merely "horse-choosing" in the political arena, which greatly limits the selection vision of the organizational personnel department and seriously hinders the vertical advancement of cadre personnel reform.

Second, the key to promotion beyond the usual ranks is to effectively construct a scientific and reasonable mechanism for promotion beyond the usual ranks, building a comprehensive set of mechanisms including nomination, assessment, and supervision, which run through the basic principles of "democracy, openness, competition, and merit," and have the characteristics of "self-operation" of the institutional system.

Third, the achievement of the goals of promotion beyond the usual ranks depends on the full play of the overall function of the system. The selection methods for cadres who meet the characteristics and responsibilities of different positions should rely on the "promotion beyond the usual ranks" system as a basic support, fully leveraging the overall synergy of the system to make outstanding talents "stand out" a normal state of organizational personnel work under the environment of selecting people based on institutions.

The Decision of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China on Several Major Issues Concerning Strengthening and Improving the Party Building under New Conditions, adopted at the Fourth Plenary Session of the 17th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, pointed out that in the task of improving the cadre selection and appointment mechanism, it is necessary to "encourage multiple channels to recommend cadres, broaden the sources of selecting and appointing party and government leaders." Therefore, promotion beyond the usual ranks is only one of the ways to select and appoint cadres, and must be configured with corresponding institutional forms of selecting people based on the requirements of diversified selection subjects, broadened selection scope, and competitive candidates. The basic premise is "transparent operation and standardized procedures." Promotion beyond the usual ranks has the characteristics of flexibility and diversity, but if there is no fundamental "transparency" and scientific and standardized procedures to ensure it, it may also lead to the formalization of the system and major errors such as "rent-seeking" through power. We must pay high attention and importance to this.

Let "those who can do things have opportunities, and those who accomplish things have a stage."

For a long time, promotion beyond the usual ranks has been questioned by some leaders and the public, which is closely related to the lack of in-depth discussion on the theoretical basis of the promotion beyond the usual ranks system. Whether to set up a promotion beyond the usual ranks system and whether it is possible to implement this system well, first requires a discussion at the academic level.

Promotion beyond the usual ranks is a targeted talent selection system based on individual differences. First, the differences in talent ability are mainly manifested in learning ability, thinking ability, execution ability, and decision-making ability. One of the basic bases for the promotion beyond the usual ranks system is to conduct targeted institutional design based on the specific analysis of the different abilities of different talents.

Second, the psychological pressure that leaders in the transformation period have to bear is enormous. Whether they can胜任领导工作 depends on whether they have good psychological qualities and the best mental state to cope with strong pressure. In the initial stage of talent selection system design, the second basic basis for promotion beyond the usual ranks is to conduct institutional design based on the differences in "emotional intelligence" of talents.

Third, the differences in talent qualities are the quality foundation of promotion beyond the usual ranks. The "德才兼备" (morally and professionally competent) standard for cadres primarily lies in "德" (morality). The key to evaluating talent qualities is the evaluation of "德行" (moral conduct). The third basic basis for promotion beyond the usual ranks is to use the differences in the moral qualities of talents as an important standard for institutional design, and to elevate the evaluation of the differences in "德" to a new height in institutional design standards. Fundamentally, the institutional design of promotion beyond the usual ranks is a necessary requirement and an optimized path choice that follows the general laws of talent differences and growth.

The promotion beyond the usual ranks system aims to break the traditional single form of selecting and appointing people, and to broaden the channels for selecting and appointing cadres through a "non-conventional" form, injecting vitality into the improvement and perfection of the talent selection system. Promotion beyond the usual ranks fully considers the differences in work ability, quality status, and psychological qualities of party and government leaders, as well as the rules for cultivating party and government leaders, which helps to create a good environment and atmosphere for talent selection.

The scientific institutional design of promotion beyond the usual ranks, in the end, is to follow two basic laws: the universal laws of talent growth and the laws of individual differences. On the one hand, the time required for each stage of growth and maturity of different leaders varies, and the degree of ability improvement also differs significantly. The growth space and potential also have different dimensions, which are the primary issues that must be considered in talent selection. The key consideration standard for the institutional design of promotion beyond the usual ranks is to fully respect the self-defined characteristics of the growth stages of different talents. On the other hand, although most cadres may have a relatively smooth growth path, it cannot be denied that some cadres indeed have the fundamental characteristics of "leapfrog" growth. The institutional design of promotion beyond the usual ranks is to smooth the promotion channels for leaders who can achieve "leapfrog development," providing opportunities for those who can do things and a stage for those who accomplish things.

The practical need for promotion beyond the usual ranks.

Exploring promotion beyond the usual ranks from the perspective of practical needs is an important aspect to enhance understanding of this system from a direct practical angle, and is also a practical consideration standard for deciding whether to implement the promotion beyond the usual ranks system for party and government leaders. As early as 1980, in the article "Reform of the Leadership System of the Party and State," Deng Xiaoping clearly pointed out: "Being good at discovering, promoting, and even boldly promoting young and middle-aged cadres," the key is to see "whether it is urgently needed for the objective existence of the modernization construction of the country." This standard can still be used as a criterion for our discussion on the practical foundation of promotion beyond the usual ranks.

Promotion beyond the usual ranks has unique functions. From the perspective of the objects of promotion beyond the usual ranks, it mainly includes three categories: exceptionally outstanding young cadres, skill-based cadres with special work needs, and cadres from ethnic regions. Compared to the traditional cadre personnel system, the promotion beyond the usual ranks system can adapt to these special needs in selecting cadres, which can significantly enhance the relevance and effectiveness of cadre personnel work. The promotion beyond the usual ranks system can make up for the shortcomings of the traditional personnel system, promote the positive and healthy growth of talents, inject vitality into the innovation of selecting party and government leaders, and help form a flexible and tiered configuration of party and government leaders.

Establishing a selection chain for grassroots cadres is a key focus of cadre personnel system reform, and the key is to smooth the institutional channels for the appointment of grassroots cadres.

First, the promotion beyond the usual ranks system provides a possibility for the promotion and appointment of grassroots cadres. As Deng Xiaoping said, "To truly select and promote young and middle-aged cadres," it is necessary to "break the outdated notions about steps and create some steps suitable for the new situation and new tasks, so that promotion beyond the usual ranks can be achieved." The promotion beyond the usual ranks system provides institutional guarantees for the exceptional young cadres at the grassroots level to be promoted beyond their ranks.

Second, promotion beyond the usual ranks is needed for the timeliness and relevance of selecting grassroots cadres. The promotion beyond the usual ranks system of the Party breaks the growth limitations of the traditional selection system based on seniority, and smooths the institutional path for cadre selection from the dual standards of timeliness and relevance.

Third, promotion beyond the usual ranks is needed for the "competition and merit selection" of the selection chain for grassroots cadres. The competition and merit selection mechanism is a key selection mechanism for stimulating the vitality of party and government leaders, and its essence is "to build a relatively light ladder for exceptionally outstanding young cadres, allowing them to be promoted beyond their ranks."

In summary, promotion beyond the usual ranks of party and government leaders is not a temporary measure, but a form of institutional design with academic basis and practical foundation, and should be considered a necessary path for optimizing the selection of party and government leaders.

(Author is an associate professor at China University of Political Science and Law)

Note: This article is an original article from People's Forum magazine. Online reprints must credit the author and note "Source: People's Forum magazine."

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