ABSTRACT
Scholarly tradition has dictated the study of the polity, economy, and society as separate disciplines, and it has become easy to forget that each is but one aspect of social organization. In single-party states there are very few decisions made outside of the party-controlled political hierarchy. Political managers have almost total responsibility for the whole socialist society. The economic goals sought by contemporary political leadership condition the organizational role structure of society. The access instability technique effectively reduces purely political pressures for change. Traditional socialist leadership has become an exponent of the hierarchical model of decision making. The key variable distinguishing decision-making processes is the role played by the lower participants and middle level of command in influencing decisions made at the top. Polish society seems outwardly resigned to making the best of the situation, as the turnover in top posts has been rapid enough to keep individuals and groups from becoming a threat to established authority.
