How to Be More Innovative in Clusters? The Influence of Geographical Agglomerations on Its Firms

• Published in: Journal of the knowledge economy 2023-09, Vol.14 (3), p.2603-2629
• Main Authors: Bittencourt, Bruno Anicet, Zen, Aurora Carneiro, Prévot, Frèderic, Schmidt, Vitor Klein
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Economic Policy; Economics; Economics and Finance; Entrepreneurship; Innovations; Knowledge economy; R & D/Technology Policy
• ISSN: 1868-7865; 1868-7873
• DOI: 10.1007/s13132-022-00975-2

This study aims to understand how clusters influence the innovation of firms. Clustered firms have consistently been considered more innovative than isolated firms. However, how geographic clusters influence firms to innovate is still a black box in the literature. To fill this gap, we conducted an exploratory study of four firms in two clusters: the emerging cluster Alto do Camaquã in Brazil and the growing cluster Sisteron in France. We identify the elements of the cluster that influence the innovation of firms: context, collective strategy, public policy, commercialization, proactivity, external relations, collaboration, assimilation, transformation and application of knowledge, governance, infrastructure, and financial and human resources. We compare these elements with field research and offer four propositions in relation to how clusters influence firms in terms of innovation strategy, culture, management, and infrastructure. The findings indicate that the influence of the cluster varies according to the development stage. We thus identify two development stages and propose a model to understand the relationship between clusters and the innovation of their firms.