Key Factors for the Successful Operation of Clusters: The Case for Slovenia

摘要

Background and Purpose: Companies are increasingly specializing and developing those key areas with which they can compete on the global market and are linking in clusters that are ingredient of territorial competitiveness. Clusters can play a competitive role in global value chains but once being successful, they may decline. For this reason, researching key factors for the successful operation of clusters in Slovenia is beneficial. Methodology: This study is based on an extensive review of scientific literature. Theoretical findings are tested by a study of clustering in Slovenia. In practice, we determine the number of operating clusters fifteen years after they were initiated by the institutional environment with help of web pages, e-mails and telephone calls. Using interviews, we determine reasons for the cessation of operations on the part of former directors and factors of successful operations with directors of successful clusters. Results: The institutional environment initiated start-up processes of creating clusters in Slovenia. After the termination of institutional financial support, Slovenian clusters, which have failed to develop their own financing system, ceased operation. Directors of still operating clusters confirmed that trust between cluster members is the most important success factor in the operation of clusters. Conclusion: The institutional environment in Slovenia adopted cluster policy and successfully leveraged the establishment of clusters using start-up financing. Less than half of these clusters continue to prosper under their own stream after policy retreatment. Clusters were not prepared for a dramatically different way of working. Trust has become a major driving force of adjusting to new conditions.%Uvod in namen: Podjetja se vse bolj specializirajo in razvijajo tista ključna področja, s katerimi lahko tekmujejo na globalnem trgu ter se povezujejo v grozde, ki so del regijske konkurenčnosti. Grozdi lahko kljub temu, da ima-jo konkurenčno vlogo v globalnih vrednostnih verigah in so uspešni, neprostovoljno prenehajo delovati. Ravno zato je preučevanje ključnih faktorjev za uspešno delovanje grozdov v Sloveniji pomembno. Metode: Raziskava temelji na obsežni raziskavi znanstvene literature. Teoretične ugotovitve so primerjane z ugotovitvami raziskave poteka grozdenja v Sloveniji. S pomočjo spletnih strani, elektronske pošte in telefonskih klicev smo določili število še delujočih grozdov petnajst let po njihovi vzpostavitvi, inicirani s strani institucional-nega okolja. Z intervjuji smo določili razloge za prenehanje delovanja pri bivših direktorjih nedelujočih grozdov in faktorje uspešnega delovanja grozdov pri direktorjih delujočih grozdov. Rezultati: Institucionalno okolje je iniciralo zagonske procese oblikovanja grozdov v Sloveniji. Po prenehanju institucionalne finančne podpore so tišti slovenski grozdi, ki niso uspeli razviti svojega sistema financiranja, pre-nehali z delovanjem. Direktorjih delujočih grozdov so potrdili, da je zaupanje med člani grozda najbolj pomem-ben faktor uspešnega delovanja grozdov. Zaključek: Slovensko Institucionalno okolje je sprejelo politiko grozdenja in uspešno vzpodbudilo nastanek grozdov z zagonskim financiranjem. Manj kot polovica grozdov je nadaljevala svoje delovanje tudi po spremem-bi politike. Grozdi večinoma niso bili pripravljeni na dramatično spremembo v načinu financiranja. Zaupanje je postalo glavni gonilnik prilagajanja novim razmeram.