OCP: Designing a System That Can Reinvent Itself
2026
| Case No.
E931
| Length
25 pgs.
This case examines the continuing transformation of OCP under the leadership of Dr. Mostafa Terrab as the company evolved from a state-run phosphate exporter into a multi-business, innovation-driven system spanning industrial operations, education, research, venture investment, and sustainability initiatives. Facing declining competitiveness in the mid-2000s, OCP pursued forward integration into fertilizers while building capabilities that did not previously exist within the organization or the national ecosystem. Central to this effort was the creation of Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) and a broader innovation architecture designed to develop talent, support entrepreneurship, and link research with industrial application. As the system expanded to include autonomous strategic business units, venture platforms, and sustainability initiatives, new coordination challenges emerged. The case asks how OCP can sustain alignment, operational discipline, and long-term strategic coherence in a system intentionally designed to evolve and reinvent itself.
Learning Objective
The case is designed to help students analyze systems leadership in the context of large-scale organizational and ecosystem transformation. It invites discussion of how leaders build capabilities that do not yet exist, how organizations simultaneously execute and innovate across multiple units, and how governance structures evolve as firms expand into new domains such as education, venture investment, and sustainability. Students examine the role of universities and innovation platforms in industrial transformation, the management of autonomy across strategic business units, and the coordination and interaction challenges that arise in complex multi-entity systems. The case also encourages students to evaluate how long-term strategic vision, institutional partnerships, and leadership architecture shape the ability of organizations to adapt over time.
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