Blog #2.19 Marjana Cooperative

Entrance to the cooperative outside of Essaouira

The visit to Cooperative Morjana was stimulating both in terms of a successful business model but also epitomizes the concept of a complex system as described as incorporating large network components with no central control and simple rules of operation that give rise to complex collective behavior, sophisticated information processing, and adaptation via learning or evolution (Mitchell, 2009). The system seeks to influence its environment to achieve an efficient operation in which all activities are beneficial to the system’s existence.

 The cooperative demonstrates what is also known as a Center of Gravity (CoG), or critical node(s) in which the organization cannot function or exist without (Leonhard, 2009).  In this case, this node is the relationship between the argan tree and the traditional method of oil extraction performed by the women of the Amazigh communities from the region. Marjana and other cooperatives like it seek to enhance this delicate balance through a sustainable business strategy which represents a focus on supporting People, Planet, and Profit. In this case, the Amazigh People, their culture, the argan tree, and its products provide a source of income for a cooperative whose profits help to support at-risk women. 

Mural of an Amazigh woman, the embodiment or Center of Gravity (CoG) of the argan oil production process

These women at-risk are specifically widows, divorcees, or women'-headed household earners that need income and community. This effort also stimulates a 4th P: perception, in that the entity gains recognition for its efforts. For Morjana this influence is demonstrated through tourism by those interested in the argan products or people who are tied to them.

Much inquiry is needed concerning this specific complex system regarding the scientific, social, and economic influences that affect it both beneficial and harmful to its existence. However, the structure of Marjana and other cooperatives can provide a window to the understanding of this larger system of which it is part.

-By Ken Prewitt, UC-Merced PhD Student in Management of Complex Systems

References

Leonhard, R. (2009). The Art of Maneuver. NY: Random House.

Mitchell, M. (2009). Complexity: A Guided Tour. New York NY: Oxford University Press, Incorporated.