This research analyzed the importance of competencies within the development of the cooperative system through the case study of the Tejemujeres Women’s Artisan Cooperative, for which a documentary and field investigation was conducted with a descriptive and explanatory scope under a mixed approach. The importance of cooperatives as tools of social cohesion has been considered due to the progress of their members, their strengthening of social capital, and generation of the necessary conditions to adapt to the demands of the place in which they operate. From this perspective, research tools such as surveys, interviews, and focus groups were implemented for a total of 85 participants of the entity under a census and incidental sample approach to analyze each of the responses under the Working With People model, from its dimensions: ethical-social, technical-business, and political-contextual. These responses have been collected in such a way that the skills of the most significant relevance to artisans are identified, which have allowed the strengthening of the cooperative system. The results demonstrate the level of incidence of a group of indigenous women from the rural area of the Gualaceo canton. The development of their skills has participated in the construction and implementation of a social model of company cooperative that—due to the complexity of its members and its environment—must face several scenarios to adequately articulate the social-business vision and achieve its sustainability over time.

La administración de operaciones es considerada como una disciplina que estudia las fases de planeación, organización, dirección y control de las distintas operaciones productivas, dichas operaciones abarcan todas las actividades que se deben desarrollar para producir los bienes y/o servicios que las empresas quieran ofertar al mercado. Generalmente es más fácil identificar las actividades productivas que se realizan para llevar a cabo la elaboración de un producto ya que estas suelen ser bastante obvias a diferencias de las actividades desarrolladas para ofrecer un servicio, ya que al no ser tangibles pueden pasar desapercibidas incluso ante los clientes, sin embargo aunque el producto final sea un bien o un servicio, se considerará como operaciones o administración de operaciones a todas las actividades de producción que se llevan a cabo en las compañías para cumplir con sus objetivos productivos.

The overall objective of the study was to propose the application of the IRA principles and the WWP model in the Tejemujeres Cooperative, with the aim of strengthening its production and management system without compromising its social identity. To this end, a mixed descriptive and explanatory methodology was used. Surveys were conducted among the organization’s 110 members, and focus groups were conducted with internal and external stakeholders, in addition to a review of documents and bibliographic sources. This revealed structural limitations in the production system, such as a shortage of raw materials, low innovation, marketing difficulties, and limited technical training. However, the perception of economic sustainability remained positive, thanks to the social and cultural cohesion of the cooperative. Likewise, most of the members expressed openness to incorporating IRA principles and the WWP model, highlighting training, active participation in decision-making, strengthening internal governance, and creating commercial networks as priorities. In conclusion, it was determined that Tejemujeres’ main strength lies in its community identity and human capital, rather than in traditional economic indicators. The proposed theoretical frameworks were found to be relevant and adaptable to the context of the organization. Finally, a hybrid strategy is proposed that combines the participatory flexibility of the WWP model with the methodological rigor of the IRA principles, which will enable the cooperative to consolidate an innovative, sustainable, and culturally legitimate production system.