The article contains a qualitative analysis of statements by representatives of the Polish central administrative elite about the construction of their new roles and identity. It is assumed that one dimension of the new identity is the manner in which department directors (who were interviewed in 2013), define the concept of success, which seems ‘by definition’ to belong to the paradigm of a market economy. What does it thus mean for them and what are the consequences in terms of how they perceive their professional role? The author attempts to answer these questions.
