Formulation of the cluster development strategy – selected aspects
Formulation of the cluster development strategy – selected aspects

Summary/Abstract: Increased interest in cluster development results, among others, from the role they play in the development of economic operators functioning in such an environment. At the basis of activities and success of clusters lies a strategy that designates development trends. It accounts for common resources and collaboration options for the participants, and also for constantly changing environment. Designing such a strategy should take the form of a continuous process, in which various aspects of cluster operation as a whole and the issues concerning the cluster participants are covered. The Desk Research method was employed, which included the analysis of all information submitted, i.e. available at websites, on cluster development strategies. Ten strategies were selected at random out of several accessible documents. The strategies were subjected to validation with the methods of cluster development strategy formulation. That was done with respect to the analysis-based theoretical concept of cluster and organisation development. The paper aims at identifying the most important issues in devising cluster development strategy (stages, structure and content), and their validation based on economic practice. The approach to formulating cluster development strategy, proposed in the paper, combines the most important aspects of cluster operation and development with the methodology of formulating organisation strategy worked out by marketing sciences. Although clusters are different, they share properties of varied significance, which are decisive for their development. Those properties should affect strategy distinctive features and set directions for its formulation. The investigations demonstrate that in economic practice, cluster development strategies vary with respect to scope, formulation methods, and the content. Not all strategies examined comprise the components required, which indicates those are incomplete, they consequently lack complexity or integrity.

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