1. Practices and Tools for
Cluster Management Excellence
Gerd Meier zu Köcker
Agency Kompetenznetze Deutschland
European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

2. Rationale
Cluster managements excellence matters
Cluster managements excellence is a promising way to contribute to sustainability
of a cluster
Matured clusters seek for ways to demonstrate excellence towards members,
policy makers, programme owners or the community
Labelling excellent clusters is becoming common practise within
Europe,
• but according to national priorities and national funding schemes !
• An internationally harmonised and recognised approach is missing !!
Slide 2 European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

3. Prevailing Approaches to
Increase Organisational Cluster Excellence
Quality Frame
• peer assessment approach (EC-project)
Benchmarking (Kompetenznetze Deutschland)
European Cluster Excellence Initiative (EC-project)
Others
• Balanced Scorecard
• Comparative membership satisfaction analyses
(Kompetenznetze Deutschland)
Slide 3 European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

4. Why Benchmarking ?
Benchmarking of cluster organisations reveals different advantages compared to
other approaches:
Comparison with others
 reveals the current position
 shows specific strengths and weaknesses
 is voluntary and motivates to learn from the best / good practices
 provides findings which can be used in the practical work
 no good or bad, nor raking or rating
 gives interested parties valid information about the competitive position
of a cluster
Results of the benchmarking provide valid input to cluster organisations towards
cluster excellence
Slide 4 European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

5. Benchmarking of Cluster
Organisations I
Cluster Management Benchmarking
• Tool for cluster organisations
• to compare with the best / others
• to initiate mutual learning
• to strive for cluster (management) excellence
• to provide evidence of progress made
• Tool for the members / programme owners / policy makers
• Development of a given cluster compared to others
• Strength / weakness compared to other
• Starting point for specific support actions
• Neutral, comparable, independent
Slide 5 European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

6. Benchmarking of Cluster
Organisations II
Three key dimensions and five sub-dimensions
Framework • Cluster structure
conditions
• Typology, governance
and co-operation
• Financing cluster management
• Strategy, objectives, services
• Achievements, recognition
Cluster actors
Cluster organisation
Slide 6 European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

7. Cluster Management
Benchmarking
Benchmarking - Key Success Factors
Key Success Factors I
The comparative portfolio
• Sufficient number (more than 80 clusters are registered)
• Sufficient quality (all clusters registered which meet threshold)
Allowing to benchmark the right clusters
• According to same technological domain
• According to size, age, country….
• According to all “Excellence Clusters” registered
within the comparative portfolio
Slide 7 European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

8. Cluster Management
Benchmarking
Benchmarking - Key Success Factors
Key Success Factors II
Regards the broad variety of clusters
• Flexible and modular approach
• Individual composition of relevant indicators
• No disadvantage when certain indicators are left out
Simple approach
• Reasonable efforts for gathering information
• Focus on cluster organisation
• Involvement of the cluster members is voluntary
• Face-to-face discussions
• No statistics
Slide 8 European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

9. Cluster Management
Benchmarking
Cluster structure
100,00%
90,00%
Share of maximal score
80,00%
70,00%
Achievements and performance Financing
60,00%
50,00%
40,00%
IKT Grenland
30,00%
20,00%
10,00%
Clusters belonging to
same techn. domain
0,00%
Internationalisation Cluster typology and governance
Output of services Diversity of services
Slide 9 European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

10. Project Overview
Slide 10
European Commission
European Commission
Enterprise and Industry
Enterprise and Industry

11. Further Steps for Implementing
a Harmonised Quality Approach within Europe
• The Nordic-German Cluster Excellence
• Leading National Programme Owners build the consortium
• Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Norway, Sweden
• Initiated by
• Purpose:
• Promote cluster management excellence within Europe
• Promote mutual learning by comparing cluster organisations
• Testbed for harmonised quality indicators for cluster organisations within Europe
• Application of ECEI indicators
• About 150 cluster organisations will actively participate and be benchmarked
• Clusters belong to the most competitive ones in their respective countries
Slide 11 European Commission
Enterprise and Industry

12. First Step for Steps for Implementing
Further Implementing
a Harmonised Quality Approach within Europe
a Harmonised Quality Approach within Europe
For more information
Contact at DASTI Agency Kompetenznetze Deutschland
Thomas Alslev Christensen Dr. Gerd Meier zu Köcker
Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation c/o
Innovation Policy Center VDI/VDE Innovation +Technik GmbH
Bredgade 40-42 Steinplatz 1
DK-1260 Copenhagen D-12163 Berlin
Tel +45 20 89 72 27 Tel.: +49 30 310078-118
Tel + 45 33 92 93 73 Fax +49 30 310078-222
E-mail: tac@fi.dk Emai: mzk@vdivde-it.de
…or at the Kompetenznetze booth
Slide 12 European Commission
Enterprise and Industry