ISSN 0005-1179, Automation and Remote Control, 2020, Vol. 81, No. 1, pp. 139–152. c  Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2020. Russian Text c  The Author(s), 2017, published in Upravlenie Bol’shimi Sistemami, 2017, No. 68, pp. 74–99. LARGE SCALE SYSTEMS CONTROL On Situation Control Problem Settings with Multiple Stakeholders Using Cognitive Maps Z. K. Avdeeva ∗,a and S. V. Kovriga ∗,b * Trapeznikov Institute for Control Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia e-mail: a avdeeva@ipu.ru, b kovriga@ipu.ru Received November 8, 2016 Revised November 8, 2016 Accepted July 18, 2019 Abstract—We propose control problem settings for a situation with multiple active subjects and a general scheme of their solution using cognitive maps. We identify some promising areas of application where these problems can be needed and areas for further research. Keywords : ill-structured situation, active subjects, cognitive map, setting management tasks DOI: 10.1134/S0005117920010129 1. INTRODUCTION Current situations are characterized not only by rapid variability and interaction of many het- erogeneous and interdisciplinary factors, but also by the presence of subjects (stakeholders) whose different points of view, beliefs and interests lead to different visions of the direction of the situa- tion’s development (these situations are often classified as ill-structured [26]). The application domain of cognitive maps covers complex and ill-structured situations (see, e.g., [23]), including multi-subject situations. A cognitive map is a formalized model of a situa- tion, reflecting knowledge and/or beliefs of a subject, either individual or collective, about causal effects between significant factors in the situation, whether these influences are laws of a situation’s development or decision rules of subjects involved in the situation. 1 Let us list some types of applied problems for the analysis of multi-subject situations that models and methods based on cognitive maps have been used for, both in Russia and abroad: • resolving a certain problematic situation based on combining the perceptions of various stake- holders 2 (see, e.g., [19, 20, 22, 24]); strategically important directions for changing the situation are determined by taking into account the balance between various interests of identified parties [10]; • forming coalitions of interested parties with similar goals to manage targeted development of the socio-economic and political system (situation) [13]; 1 It is typical in this case that the cognitive map includes heterogeneous factor variables associated with causal effects, including both potentially measurable variables of the type “city revenue” and abstract qualitative variables such as “the attractiveness of drug trafficking.” Some formalizations of cognitive maps describe the dynamics of situations and systems [2]. 2 R. Freeman, the founder of the theory of stakeholders in the field of corporate governance. introduced the following definition of a stakeholder: “A stakeholder in an organization is (by definition) any group or individual who can affect or is affected by the achievement of the organization’s objectives” [17] (cited from [18, p. 207]). Along with simple borrowing of the term from Western practice, Russian researchers often use the concepts of “participating party,” “interested party,” or “influence group” [10]. At the same time, the methods for stakeholder analysis have been proposed to solve problems not only in the field of corporate governance but also in the field of public management, environmental policy, health, and others [18]. 139