Networking in clusters – aspects of successful cluster management
Dagmar Grote Westrick, Institute for Work and Technology, Germany
Abstract
In the attempt to strengthen the regional economic structure within the global econ-omy, there are several concepts local and regional governments can focus on. The concept of “clusters” got high popularity in the past years, giving the opportunities to foster promising technologies and sectors of the regional economy while financial means are shortened. Clusters can be defined as the spatial concentration of differ-ent functions of a sector resp. of a production chain (supplier, producer, specialised services etc.). The degree of concentration differs form sector to sector but we need at least an over-average range of functions in the sector, when we talk about a cluster. Concentration not always means that there is interaction between the existing functions that are concentrated. But this interaction, this networking is, what makes the cluster approach interesting. When there is a certain density of interaction we call it an integrated cluster. The mode of interaction differs from cluster to cluster. Competition is a mode of interaction as well as co-operation or informal communication – both increases the probability of innovation. The promotion of networking can therefore be seen as one of the most important instruments of cluster management.
Although there are a lot of policies on national and federal state level that influence and shape the way and speed of cluster development, cluster development and re-gional cluster policies differ a lot between regions in Northrhine-Westphalia (NRW), Germany. Against this backdrop the Institute for Work and Technology led a comparative study that analysed cluster development and cluster management in three different regions in NRW. One aim was, to analyse similarities and differences in cluster management, meaning also conditions for networking within cluster.
The basis for this analysis are different projects we worked on the past years, in which we analysed clusters, cluster building and cluster policies in three different re-gions in Northrhine-Westphalia. On the basis of statistical analysis and more than 400 personal interviews with innovative companies and related institutions different clusters had been identified in the Ruhr Region, the Rhine Region and in East-Westphalia-Lippe. Within this comparative study, three exemplary sectors are ana-lysed. The automotive industry, the ICT (Information and Communication Technol-ogy) sector and Health Care services.
The results show that integrated clusters strongly depend on regional set-ups, like institutional framework, sectoral aspects like the economic preconditions, the age and dynamics of the sector and general aspects like public atmosphere. Interesting questions for the workshop would be, how to influence these aspects in a political way, who can influence them and which role ICT can play.
Dagmar Grote Westrick
Institute for Work and Technology
Part of the Science Centre NRW
Munscheidstraße 14
45886 Gelsenkirchen
Phone: +49 209.1707 – 226
Fax: +49 209.1707 – 110
e-mail: grote@iatge.de