TITLE:
Operational Risk Management in Moroccan Public Universities: An Exploratory Study
AUTHORS:
Sarra Gazoulit, Khadija Oubal
KEYWORDS:
Risk, Operational Risk, Operational Risk Management
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.17 No.5,
May
27,
2026
ABSTRACT: Moroccan public universities, like their international counterparts, operate in a complex and constantly evolving environment. They are therefore exposed to various risks, mainly of an operational nature, the management of which is essential to achieve both operational and strategic objectives as well as expected organizational performance. Although efforts are being made in operational risk management within MPUs, these remain limited. An exploratory analysis, conducted through structured and semi-structured interviews with eighteen administrative officials, made it possible to better understand the nature of operational risks faced by all twelve Moroccan public universities, as well as the mechanisms currently used to manage them. The findings reveal that these risks are not yet embedded in the organizational memory of MPUs and that their management mainly relies on an informal framework, in the absence of a structured and formal risk management system.