Overall Planning and All-Round Consideration
"The ten issues raised are all centered on one basic principle, which is to mobilize all positive factors at home and abroad to serve the cause of socialism."
—— Mao Zedong, On the Ten Major Relationships (1956)
Core Principles
There are multiple pairs of dialectical relationships in complex systems, and you cannot only focus on one side while ignoring the other. The correct approach is to identify all important relationship pairs, find a dynamic balance between them, and mobilize all positive factors to the maximum extent.
For detailed original work basis, please refer to original-texts.md
Inapplicable Scenarios
You do not need to call this skill in the following situations:
- There is only one goal dimension, and there is no opposite side that needs to be balanced
- The user has clearly defined the trade-off direction (user decision takes priority)
- It belongs to the tactical execution stage, the general direction has been determined, and only concentrated promotion is needed —— use
- The nature of the problem is a hard constraint of "must choose one and give up the other", and there is no room for dynamic balance
When to Use
You should call this skill in the following situations:
- Facing multiple mutually restrictive goals, needing to weigh trade-offs
- Finding that optimizing one dimension harms another dimension
- There are multiple stakeholders in the system that need to be coordinated
- Making choices between opposites such as speed and quality, depth and breadth, short-term and long-term
- Needing to develop a comprehensive plan that takes into account multi-faceted needs
- Finding that you are unilaterally pursuing a certain goal
Method Process
Step 1: Identify all dialectical relationship pairs
Mao Zedong systematically identified ten pairs of relationships in On the Ten Major Relationships —— On the Ten Major Relationships
List all important opposites in the current system/task:
Common dialectical relationship pairs:
- Speed vs Quality
- Depth vs Breadth
- Short-term income vs Long-term value
- Simplicity vs Flexibility
- Core functions vs Additional functions
- Individual needs vs Overall interests
- Exploration and innovation vs Stability and reliability
- Centralized unification vs Decentralized autonomy
- Theoretical learning vs Practical operation
- Known solutions vs Innovative attempts
Note: The dialectical relationship pairs of different tasks/systems are different, which should be identified according to specific situations, and the template cannot be copied directly.
Step 2: Reject one-sidedness
The lesson of the Soviet Union is that it was excessively biased towards one side —— On the Ten Major Relationships
Examine whether you are unilaterally emphasizing a certain aspect:
- Are you only pursuing speed while ignoring quality?
- Are you only focusing on the present while ignoring the long-term?
- Are you only meeting the needs of one party while ignoring other parties?
- Are you copying other people's practices without considering your own reality?
Key check: If what you are doing completely ignores one side of a pair of relationships, it is one-sidedness.
Step 3: Find dynamic balance
"Overall planning and all-round consideration, appropriate arrangement" —— On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People
Balance is not a fixed compromise, but a dynamic adjustment according to specific conditions:
- Which side needs more attention at the current stage?
- After conditions change, does the balance point need to be adjusted?
- "Appropriate arrangement" —— consider "the actual possible conditions at that time and place"
Method:
- Determine the priority side of each pair of relationships at the current stage (but do not completely ignore the other side)
- Set specific balance indicators (how to judge that it has been out of balance?)
- Check the balance status regularly
Step 4: Learn from the lessons of others
"Do you still want to take the detours that others have taken?" —— On the Ten Major Relationships
Refer to the failure lessons of others in similar scenarios:
- Which projects failed because of unilaterally pursuing a certain dimension?
- What are the common "over-optimization" traps?
- Are there mature balance strategies that can be used for reference?
But reference is not copying —— it must be adjusted in combination with your own specific situation.
Step 5: Mobilize all positive factors
"Mobilize all positive factors at home and abroad" —— On the Ten Major Relationships
The ultimate goal of overall planning and all-round consideration is not a compromise of "each party gets a little less", but to find a configuration that allows all parties to play a positive role:
- Is there a way to advance two seemingly contradictory goals at the same time?
- Are there any neglected resources or methods that can be used?
- Is there a creative solution that can take into account multiple parties?
- The possibility of transforming "negative factors" into "positive factors"
Step 6: Systematic thinking
When adjusting a pair of relationships, check the impact on other relationships:
- If speed is increased, is quality damaged?
- If depth is increased, is breadth insufficient?
- If short-term needs are met, are there hidden dangers in the long run?
Check the global impact for every adjustment.
Common Dialectical Relationship Handling Modes
| Relationship Pair | One-sided Practice | Overall Planning Practice |
|---|
| Speed vs Quality | Only rush for progress regardless of quality | Strictly control at key points, appropriately accelerate at non-key points |
| Depth vs Breadth | Get into a dead end or stay on the surface | Understand widely first, then go deep at key points |
| Short-term vs Long-term | Only look at the present or be too ambitious | Consider long-term impact when solving immediate problems |
| Simplicity vs Flexibility | Over-simplify or over-design | Meet current needs, reserve expansion space |
| Exploration vs Stability | Dare not innovate or take excessive risks | Explore in a planned way on the basis of stability |
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Mao Zedong's Criticism | Correct Practice |
|---|
| Only focus on one side | One-sidedness is the most common mistake | Identify all important relationships and reject one-sidedness |
| Fixed compromise | Balance is dynamic, not fixed | Dynamically adjust the balance point according to conditions |
| Copy other people's solutions | "Do you still want to take the detours that others have taken?" | Learn from but not copy, combine with reality |
| Adjust one place without considering the whole picture | Need systematic thinking | Check global impact for every adjustment |
| Do a little for all parties (muddle through) | "Mobilize all positive factors" ≠ equal distribution | Find the optimal configuration that allows all parties to play their roles |
Operating Procedures
When this skill is triggered, output the panoramic view of dialectical relationships and balance scheme:
-
Identify all dialectical relationship pairs, format:
Dialectical relationships involved currently:
1. [A] ↔ [B]: Currently biased towards [A/B/balanced], bias degree: [slight/obvious/severe]
2. [C] ↔ [D]: Currently biased towards [C/D/balanced], bias degree: ……
-
One-sidedness check (for each pair of relationships):
- Does the current plan/action completely ignore one side?
- If yes: Is this a deliberate trade-off (acceptable) or an unintentional omission (needs correction)?
-
Determine the balance point of the current stage (give a specific priority direction for each pair of relationships):
[A] vs [B]: Prioritize [A] at the current stage, but ensure [B] is not lower than [minimum requirement]
Reason: …… (related to the specific conditions of the current stage)
-
System impact check (after adjusting a pair of relationships, check the impact on other relationships):
If [A] is strengthened, the impact on other relationships:
- For [C] vs [D]: [aggravate/alleviate/no impact], need to adjust……
-
Set imbalance early warning indicators:
If [specific signal] appears, it means [A] vs [B] has been out of balance, and this skill needs to be called again
Relationship with Other Skills
- Contradiction analysis method: The process of identifying dialectical relationship pairs is contradiction analysis
- Investigation and research: Understanding the actual situation of all parties is the premise of overall planning and all-round consideration
- Mass line: Overall planning and all-round consideration requires listening to opinions from all parties
- Concentrate forces: After the general direction is determined by overall planning, concentrate forces on specific execution points
- Persistent strategy: The balance points of different stages are different, and phased adjustment is required