Elite Perceptions, System-Environment Framework and Cognitive Mapping

In the constantly changing world, political elites are supposed to develop effective strategies for countries and citizens. In democratic countries, citizens elect those who are entitled to execute leadership, and who should narrow the scope of unpredictability of global, regional and local environment. One of the direct questions in this context is what citizens might expect from political elites. And the way proposed in the paper is to focus on the issues raised, and solutions framed by elites themselves. The paper will present a method of analyzing the perceptions of political elites in textual data (e.g. opinions, statements, strategic documents). A conceptual tool for the analysis of cognitive maps of political elites and results of a validating empirical analysis will be discussed. The tool is based on the ideas developed by systems analysis and complex systems leadership theory scholars (see: Easton 1979; Deutsch 1963; Beer 1981; Mazur 1969; Axelrod 2015; Hazy, Goldstein, and Lichtenstein 2007). The tool is based on the assumption that political systems are always embedded in an environment and that boundary between the two is always mediated by political elites. Hence, what elites say and do is of primary importance for the political community as a whole. The system-environment boundary mediation provides also a basic structure of research. The tool enables to identify notions raised by political elites and classify them into a two-dimensional grid. This is supposed to provide a first step in a comparative analysis of cognitive maps – a method of tracing the cause and effect structures of political thinking. The tool also incorporates the analysis of interdependency between systemic and environmental factors, which is supposed to make integration and adaptation of political systems possible. The validation procedure will be presented on the case of diachronic research on the perception of Polish prime ministers. A comparative analysis of statements made at the appointment to the office will help discuss advantages and drawbacks of the tool under development.