Is Cluster promotion an obvious or complex endeavor? Ulrich Harmes-Liedtke

Academic 3: The Evolution of Cluster: from the Competitive Advantage of Nations to the Cluster Initiatives Greenbook 2.0

12 November 2014

IS CLUSTER PROMOTION AN

OBVIOUS OR COMPLEX ENDEAVOR?

ULRICH HARMES-LIEDTKE

17 TH TCI GLOBAL CONFERENCE | CREATING SHARED VALUE THROUGH CLUSTERS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

CLUSTERS ARE COMPLEX SYSTEMS

NEW PERCEPTION

1

CLUSTERS ARE COMPLEX SYSTEMS

Source: MATTA, A. 2012

Cluster emerge, evolve and increase complexity

The cluster community recognizes more and more evolutionary character clusters.

Source: Cluster policy Whitebook,Andersson, Schwaag-Serger et al. 2004

CHARACTERISTICS OFCOMPLEX SYSTEMS

Source:ANDRUS, D.C. 2005

Simple Complicated Complex

Baking a cake Sending a rocket to the moon

Raising a child

Right recipe is essential

Gives the same result every time

Formulas needed

Experience built over time and can be repeated with success

No right recipes or protocols

Outside factors influence

Experience helps, but does not guarantee success

DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROBLEMS

In cluster management we treat problems mostly as simple or complicated

WHY COMPLEXITY IS INCREASING?

Move from the industrial era of mass production to the knowledge society

Globalization of people and tradeNew challenges in context of climate

change, epidemics and warsIn general: increased uncertainty and

vulnerability

17 TH TCI GLOBAL CONFERENCE | CREATING SHARED VALUE THROUGH CLUSTERS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

DEALING WITH CLUSTER COMPLEXITY

SENSE MAKING

2

NOT EVERYTHING IS COMPLEX

Source: Dave Snowden/ Cognitive Edge

SAFE-TO-FAIL-PROBES

Source:auralab.co.uk

RECIPES AND CHEFS

In complexity the Cluster Manager need to act as a chef

17 TH TCI GLOBAL CONFERENCE | CREATING SHARED VALUE THROUGH CLUSTERS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

CLUSTER POLICY IMPLICATIONS

BEYOND STRATEGIC PLANNING

3

Conceptualization ofCluster evolutionResilience refers to

the capacity of firms to respond flexibly to shocks internal and external to a cluster

Resource accumulation refers to increase productive, knowledge and institutional capital over time

Connectedness refers to the extend of traded and untraded interdependencies between cluster firms

Source: MARTIN, R. & SUNLEY, P. 2011

SERENDIPITY ORTHE "PLEASANT SURPRISE"

Finding something without looking for it.

The Three Princes of Serendip were always making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in quest of.

Alexander Fleming, discovered by accident penicillin (1928)

Source: Robert K. Merton & Elinor Barber, 2006

CLUSTERS, INNOVATION AND POLICY

Clusters have a higher rate of innovation, because knowledge and skills come from localized social networks

Clusters increase probability of accidental discoveries and recombinant innovations

Interventionist policies negate conditions that facilitate the occurrence of serendipitous events

Source: karostech.fiAn alternative is to favor experimentation and provide a favorable environment where emerging clusters can operate successfully

17 TH TCI GLOBAL CONFERENCE | CREATING SHARED VALUE THROUGH CLUSTERS FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE

A NEW PARADIGM?CONCLUSIONS

4

ARE WE FACINGA NEW PARADIGM?

We need too be more aware of complexityo be able to identify complex

situationo don’t seek for early consensuso find simple ways to understand and

communicate complex situations

THERE IS NO NEED TO START FROM SCRATCH, BUT…

MOVING IN COMPLEXITY SHOULDN'T BE COMPLICATED

Source: @gapingvoid