The US-based Reputation Institute granted the Qatari Ministry of Interior (MOI) completion certificate as the first interior ministry in the world that integrates reputation management systems in its operations through a series of stage-wise specialised processes, wherein the ministry identified its primary stakeholders accurately and analysed the public trends and impressions about the services provided by the Ministry in the various areas internally and externally.
The project focuses on how the flow of information between the ministry and various categories related to its services and activities, ranging from workers in the ministry to the rest of the beneficiaries, in a way to ensure the provision of accurate and adequate information about the ministry and its services in different areas at a time when multiple sources of information became the most important challenge faced by institutions in image building and reputation.
The project, which lasted for more than two years included a variety of methodological and research programmes targeting stakeholders that have been identified accurately as the most influential in building a mental perception and reputation of the Ministry of Interior, namely, (citizens, customers, tourists, employees, the media, and human rights organisations) in addition to the benchmarking to a number of regional and international ministries and police forces of the similar nature.
The US-based Reputation Institute carried out the scientific research employing manual and electronic questionnaires, interviews and media content analysis, which has helped to provide evaluative information on the image of the Ministry and its reputation among all parties.
More than five specialised workshops were conducted with a targeted model for measuring the reputation of the Ministry of Interior among the relevant stakeholders, with the participation of representatives of all competent departments at the Ministry and experts from the Reputation Institute. The model of image building and institutional reputation management of the Ministry was adopted in accordance with six main themes such as development, service, leadership, citizenship, governance, business environment as well as emotional aspects like respect, admiration, feeling and trust. Each of the above mentioned themes are denoted with specific measurement points linking performance measurement with the general impression among the targeted people.
Nicholas Trad, Executive Partner of Reputation Institute – Middle East & Africa, said:
The achievements of the Qatar Ministry of Interior of noticeable progress in building an image of institutional reputation. It has made a great leap in this area becoming the first interior ministry in the world that assimilated modern reputation systems in its operations.
He added:
The modern reputation management theory is based on the management of relationship between the reality of the institution and ‘the impression of the public about it’. The Reputation Institute has developed models and precise criteria in this framework which are adopted by the major institutions in the region and around the world.’
It is worth mentioning that the concept of institutional reputation is based on the accumulation of the impressions and mental perceptions towards the institution with its direct and indirect audience, which were formed directly by dealing with them or by hearing about it and its potentials. The reputation management is considered as a discipline that requires involvement more stakeholders especially those related with mental perceptions and performance indicators, which are considered as gateways to amass a positive impression about the institution.
