Al Jazeera Tells its Story: In-Depth Studies

As these discussions developed between the two points of view, some convergence emerged and a compromise was proposed: any com- ponents with tasks directly serving the network’s original purpose (the television channel) would be considered “core”, while any component, department or division that could do its work completely independently of this core would be classified as a “support” unit. Classification of the Technical Innovation division was the topic of extended discussions. The division, which maintains Al Jazeera’s visual identity and inter- acts directly with the television (and original) component, was finally classified according to the school of thought that argued for anything directly linked to this original component must be classified as a core component. It is worth mentioning here that these discussions were held within the network’s culture instilled in its officials and employees: important decisions are made after discussions, risk-benefit analysis and evaluat- ing the advantages of these decisions in terms of how they serve and support the original network’s mission. 2. The Role of Evaluation in Al Jazeera’s Institutional Development Continuous discussions, alongside periodic evaluations, contrib- ute to institutional development. This process is not linear but cyclical, which we have noticed in the study of Al Jazeera Network’s institution- al development journey. In some cases, challenges or difficulties can delay, hinder or force a review of available options in the development process. Institutional evaluation is a continuous process with the goal of employee development and achievement. It also works to detect and address deviations, and prevents the organisation from bigger problems by reducing the prevalence of mistakes that could happen in planning and strategy implementation. Monitoring mistakes and deviations will make it easier to apply remediation and evaluation processes based on a methodological study of all aspects of the institution in the context of the local and external environment, including opportunities and threats.

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