Abstract
The research on emerging cluster regions often focuses on infrastructure that is needed to create these regions at the macro-economic level, with minimal consideration of the micro-level human factors that drive these regions. In this study, we develop a theoretical model of micro-level behaviors—that is individual level—that are needed within regions to produce the knowledge, entrepreneurial, and market making functions of innovation systems. Our core argument is that it is through a critical mass of individuals with these behaviors, that an innovation system that supports technology regions will emerge.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Akhavan, P., & Hosseini, S. M. (2015). Determinants of knowledge sharing in knowledge networks: a social capital perspective. Journal of Knowledge Management, 13(1), 7–24.
Albertini, S. (1999). Networking and division of labour–The case of industrial districts in the North–East of Italy. Human Systems Management, 18(2), 107–115.
Anderson, C. A. (1983). Imagination and expectation: the effect of imagining behavioral scripts on personal intentions. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 293–305.
Appold, S. (1998). Labor-market imperfections and the agglomeration of firms: evidence from the emergent period of the US semiconductor industry. Environment and Planning A, 30(3), 439–462.
Audretsch, D. B., & Feldman, M. P. (1996). Innovative clusters and the industry life cycle. Review of Industrial Organization, 11(2), 253–273.
Bartol, K. M., & Srivastava, A. (2002). Encouraging knowledge sharing: the role of organizational reward systems. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 9(1), 64–76.
Battilana, J., Leca, B., & Boxenbaum, E. (2009). How actors change institutions: towards a theory of institutional entrepreneurship. Academy of Management Annals, 3(1), 65–107.
Bathelt, H. (2002). The re-emergence of a media industry cluster in Leipzig. European Planning Studies, 10(5), 583–611.
Bellandi, M. (1996). Innovation and change in the Marshallian Industrial District. European Planning Studies, 4(3), 357–368.
Bergek, A., Jacobsson, S., Carlsson, B., Lindmark, S., & Rickne, A. (2008). Analyzing the functional dynamics of technological innovation systems: a scheme of analysis. Research Policy, 37, 407–429.
Bird, B. (1988). Implementing entrepreneurial ideas: the case for intention. Academy of Management Review, 13(3), 442–453.
Bird, B. J. (1992). The operation of intentions in time: the emergence of the new venture. Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice, 17(1), 11–21.
Bolton, D. L., & Lane, M. D. (2012). Individual entrepreneurial orientation: development of a measurement instrument. Education+ Training, 54(2/3), 219–233.
Brown, J. S., & Duguid, P. (1991). Organizational learning and communities-of-practice: Toward a unified view of working, learning, and innovation. Organization science, 2(1), 40–57.
Brown, J. S., & Duguid, P. (2001). Knowledge and organization: a social-practice perspective. Organization Science, 12(2), 198–213.
Castells, M. (1998). The rise of the network society, the information age: economy, society and culture. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing.
Chaminade, C., & Edquist, C. (2005). From theory to practice: the use of systems of innovation approach in innovation policy. Lund: Lund University.
Cohen, B., & Winn, M. I. (2007). Market imperfections, opportunity and sustainable entrepreneurship. Journal of Business Venturing, 22(1), 29–49.
Constant, D., Kiesler, S., & Sproull, L. (1994). What’s mine is ours, or is it? A study of attitudes about information sharing. Information Systems Research, 5(4), 400–421.
Cooke, P. (2001). Regional innovation systems, clusters, and the knowledge economy. Industrial and Corporate Change, 10(4), 945–974.
Cummings, J. N. (2004). Work groups, structural diversity, and knowledge sharing in a global organization. Management Science, 50(3), 352–364.
Da Silva, M. (1999). The rise and fall of an enterprise cluster in Africa: the jewelry industry in South Africa. South African Geographical Journal., 81(3), 156–162.
D’Este, P., & Iammarino, S. (2010). The spatial profile of university-business research partnerships. Papers in Regional Science, 89(2), 335–350.
Dickson, P. H., & Weaver, K. M. (2008). The role of the institutional environment in determining firm orientations towards entrepreneurial behavior. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 4(4), 467–483.
Diez, M. A. (2001). The evaluation of regional innovation and cluster policies: towards a participatory approach. European Planning Studies, 9(7), 907–923.
Diez, J. R. (2003). Hannover after the world exhibition EXPO 2000 - an attempt to establish an ICT-cluster. European Planning Studies, 11(4), 379–394.
Dilaver, O., Bleda, M., & Uyarra, E. (2014). Entrepreneurship and the emergence of industrial clusters. Complexity, 19(6), 14–29.
Dohse, D., & Soltwedel, R. (2006). Recent developments in the research on innovative clusters. European Planning Studies, 14(9), 1167–1170.
Ebbekink, M., & Lagendijk, A. (2013). What's next in researching cluster policy: Place-based governance for effective cluster policy. European Planning Studies, 21(5), 735–753.
Edquist, C. (2005). Systems of innovation: perspectives and challenges. In J. Fagerberg, D. C. Mowery, & R. R. Nelson (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of innovation (pp. 181–208). Oxford University Press: New York.
Eisenhardt, K. M., & Tabrizi, B. N. (1995). Accelerating adaptive processes: product innovation in the global computer industry. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(1), 84–110.
Fehr, E., & Gächter, S. (2000). Fairness and retaliation: the economics of reciprocity. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 14(3), 159–181.
Feld, B. (2012). Startup communities: building an entrepreneurial ecosystem in your city. John Wiley & Sons.
Feldman, M. P. (2001). The entrepreneurial event revisited: firm formation in a regional context. Industrial and Corporate Change, 10(4), 861–891.
Feldman, M. P., & Francis, J. L. (2003). Fortune favours the prepared region: the case of entrepreneurship and the capitol region biotechnology cluster. European Planning Studies, 11(7), 765–788.
Finegold, D., Wong, P.-K., & Cheah, T.-C. (2004). Adapting a foreign direct investment strategy to the knowledge economy: the case of Singapore’s emerging biotechnology cluster. European Planning Studies, 12(7), 921–941.
Fiske, A. P. (1991). Structures of social life: the four elementary forms of human relations: communal sharing, authority ranking, equality matching, market pricing. New York: Free Press.
Fornahl, D., Hassink, R., & Menzel, M.-P. (2015). Broadening our knowledge on cluster evolution. European Planning Studies. https://doi.org/10.1080/09654313.2015.1016654.
Gartner, W. B. (1985). A conceptual framework for describing the phenomenon of new venture creation. Academy of Management Review, 10(4), 696–706.
Gilbert, B.A. (2017). Agglomerations, Industrial Districts and Industry Clusters: Trends of the 21st Century. Foundations and Trends in Entrepreneurship, 13(1), 1–80.
Gilbert, B. A., Audretsch, D. B., & McDougall, P. P. (2004). The emergence of entrepreneurship policy. Small Business Economics, 22(3–4), 313–323.
Greiff, S., Fischer, A., Stadler, M., & Wüstenberg, S. (2015). Assessing complex problem-solving skills with multiple complex systems. Thinking & Reasoning, 21(3), 356–382.
Guo, B., & Guo, J.-J. (2011). Patterns of technological learning within knowledge systems of industrial clusters in emerging economies: evidence from China. Technovation, 31(87–104).
Halliru, M. (2013). The effect of culture on the development of entrepreneurs among the Hausa ethnic group in Northern Nigeria. Journal of Marketing & Management, 4(1), 59–73.
Hansen, M. T. (1999). The search-transfer problem: the role of weak ties in sharing knowledge across organization subunits. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(1), 82–111.
He, W., & Wei, K. (2009). What drives continued knowledge sharing? An investigation of knowledge-contribution and-seeking beliefs. Decision Support Systems, 46(4), 826–838.
Hekkert, M., Suurs, R. A. A., Negro, S., Kuhlmann, S., & Smits, R. (2007). Functions of innovation systems: a new approach for analysing technological change. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 74(4), 413–432.
Henn, S. (2013). Transnational entrepreneurs and the emergence of clusters in peripheral regions. The case of the diamond cutting cluster in Gujarat. European Planning Studies, 21(11), 1779–1795.
Heppner, P. P., & Petersen, C. H. (1982). The development and implications of a personal problem-solving inventory. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 29(1), 66–75.
Herl, H. E., Oneil, H. F., Jr., Chung, G. K. W. K., Bianchi, C., Wang, S.-L., Mayer, R., Lee, C. Y., Choi, A., Suen, T., & Tu, A. (1999). Final report for validation of problem-solving measures. CSE Technical Report, 501.
Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture and organizations. International Studies of Management & Organization, 10(4), 15–41.
Hopp, C., & Stephan, U. (2012). The influence of socio-cultural environments on the performance of nascent entrepreneurs: community culture, motivation, self-efficacy and startup-success. Entrepreneurship & Regional Development, 24(9), 917–945.
Hounshell, D. A., & Smith, J. K. (1988). Science and corporate strategy: Dupont R and D, 1902-1980 Cambridge University Press: New York.
Hung, S., Durcikova, A., Lai, H., & Lin, W. (2011). The influence of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation on individuals’ knowledge sharing behavior. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 69(6), 415–427.
Karlsen, A. (2011). “Cluster” creation by reconfiguring communities of practice. European Planning Studies, 19(5), 753–773.
Kasabov, E. (2010). Why every cluster cannot be a successful community? European Planning Studies, 18(9), 1445–1468.
Katila, R., & Ahuja, G. (2002). Something old, something new: a longitudinal study of search behavior and new product introduction. Academy of Management Journal, 45(6), 1183–1194.
Keeble, D., & Wilkinson, F. (1999). Collective learning and knowledge development in the evolution of regional clusters of high technology SMEs in Europe. Regional Studies, 33(4), 295–303.
Kellerman, A. (2002). Conditions for the development of high-tech industry: the case of Israel. Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 93(3), 270–286.
Ketels, C., Lindqvist, G., & Sölvell, Ö. (2006). Cluster initiatives in developing and transition economies. Stockholm: Center for Strategy and Competitiveness.
Kim, S.-T. (2015). Regional advantage of cluster development: a case study of the San Diego biotechnology cluster. European Planning Studies, 23(2), 238–261.
Kollock, P. (1999). The economies of online cooperation: gifts and public goods in cyberspace. In P. Kollock & M. Smith (Eds.), Communities in cyberspace (pp. 220–237). New York: Routledge.
Lawrence, T. B., & Suddaby, R. (2006). Institutions and institutional work. In S. R. Clegg, C. Hardy, T. B. Lawrence, & W. R. Nord (Eds.), Handbook of organization studies, 2nd Edition (pp. 215–254). London: Sage.
Lawrence, T., Suddaby, R., & Leca, B. (2011). Institutional work: refocusing institutional studies of organization. Journal of Management Inquiry, 20(1), 52–58.
Lee, K. (2016). Industrial upgrading and innovation capability for inclusive growth: lessons from East Asia. In A. Foxley & B. Stallings (Eds.), Innovation and inclusion in Latin America: strategies to avoid the middle income trap (pp. 59–88). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Leonard-Barton, D., & Sinha, D. K. (1993). Developer-user interaction and user satisfaction in internal technology transfer. Academy of Management Journal, 36(5), 1125–1139.
Lettl, C., Herstatt, C., & Gemuenden, H. G. (2005). Learning from users for radical innovation. International Journal of Technology Management, 33(1), 25–45.
Leung, K. (1989). Cross-cultural differences: individual-level vs. culture-level analysis. International Journal of Psychology, 24(6), 703–719.
Levy, D., & Scully, M. (2007). The institutional entrepreneur as modern prince: the strategic face of power in contested fields. Organization Studies, 28(7), 971–991.
Lounsbury, M., & Glynn, M. A. (2001). Cultural entrepreneurship: stories, legitimacy, and the acquisition of resources. Strategic Management Journal, 22(6), 545–564.
Markard, J., & Truffer, B. (2008). Technological innovation systems and the multi-level perspective: towards an integrated framework. Research Policy, 37, 596–615.
Marshall, A. (1920). Principles of economics: an introductory volume. London: MacMillan.
Marti, I., Courpasson, D., & Barbosa, S. D. (2013). Living in the fishbowl. Generating an entrepreneurial culture in a local community in Argentina. Journal of Business Venturing, 28(1), 10–29.
Maskell, P. (2001). Towards a knowledge-based theory of the geographical cluster. Industrial and Corporate Change, 10(4), 921–943.
Mayer, R. E., & Wittrock, M. C. (1996). Problem-solving transfer. In D. C. Berliner & R. C. Calfee (Eds.), Handbook of educational psychology (pp. 47–62). New York: Macmill.
Mossig, I. (2004). The networks producing television programmes in the Cologne media cluster: new firm foundation, flexible specialization and efficient decision-making structures. European Planning Studies, 12(2), 155–131.
Mueller, S., & Thomas, A. (2000). Culture and entrepreneurial potential: a nine country study of locus of control and innovativeness. Journal of Business Venturing, 16(1), 51–75.
Naughton, M., & Cornwall, J. R. (2010). Culture as the basis of the good entrepreneur. Journal of Religion and Business Ethics, 1(1), 2–28.
Ntseane, P. (2004). Being a female entrepreneur in Botswana: cultures, values, values, strategies for success. Gender and Development, 12(2), 37–43.
Pohoata, I., Clipa, R. I., & Iacobuta, A. O. (2013). The local culture - entrepreneurship relation in the equation of agglomeration economies. Revista de cercetare si interventie sociala, 43, 24–38.
Pohl, N., & Heiduk, G. (2002). Silicon Valley’s innovative milieu: a cultural mix of entrepreneurs/an entrepreneurial mix of cultures? Experiences of European firms. Erdkunde, 56(3), 241–252.
Porter, M. E. (1998). Clusters and the new economics of competition. Harvard Business Review, 76(6), 77–90.
Pouder, R., & John, C. H. S. (1996). Hot spots and blind spots: geographical clusters of firms and innovation. Academy of Management Review, 21(4), 1192–1225.
Rabellotti, R. (1995). Is there an “industrial district model”? Footwear districts in Italy and Mexico compared. World Development, 23(1), 29–41.
Rabellotti, R., & Schmitz, H. (1999). The internal heterogeneity of industrial districts in Italy, Brazil and Mexico. Regional Studies, 33(2), 97–108.
Ramirez, M., & Li, X. (2009). Learning and sharing in a Chinese high-technology cluster: as study of inter-firm and intra-firm knowledge flows between R&D employees. New Technology, Work and Employment, 24(3), 277–296.
Romanelli, E., & Khessina, O. M. (2005). Regional industrial identity: cluster configurations and economic development. Organization Science, 16(4), 344–358.
Rosenberg, N. (1994). Scientific instrumentation and university research. In Exploring the black box. New York: Cambridge University Press.
Rosenfeld, S. A. (2003). Expanding opportunities: cluster strategies that reach more people and more places. European Planning Studies, 11(4), 359–376.
Sagie, A., Elizur, D., & Yamauchi, H. (1996). The structure and strength of achievement motivation: a cross-cultural comparison. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 17(5), 431–444.
Saxenian, A. (1994). Regional advantage. Boston: Harvard University Press.
Saxenian, A. (1996). Regional advantage. Boston: Harvard University Press.
Schaper, M., Volery, T., Weber, P., & Lewis, K. (2010). Entrepreneurship and small business. Australia: John Wiley & Sons.
Schoonhoven, C. B., & Romanelli, E. (2001). The entrepreneurship dynamic: origins of entrepreneurship and the evolution of industries. Redwood City: Stanford University Press.
Schmitz, H. (1995). Small shoemakers and Fordist giants: tale of a supercluster. World Development, 23(1), 9–28.
Schwartz, S.H. (1994). Beyond individualism/collectivism: new cultural dimensions of values. In U. Kim, H.C. Triandis, C. Kagitcibasi, S.-C. Choi, & G. Yoon (Eds.), Individualism and collectivism: theory, method and applications (pp. 85–119). Newbury.
Senor, D., & Singer, S. (2009). Startup nation: the story of Israel’s economic miracle. New York: Grand Central Publishing.
Shah, S. K., & Tripsas, M. (2007). The accidental entrepreneur: the emergent and collective process of user entrepreneurship. Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal, 1(1–2), 123–140.
Shook, C. L., Priem, R. L., & McGee, J. E. (2003). Venture creation and the enterprising individual: a review and synthesis. Journal of Management, 29(3), 379–399.
Sirmon, D. G., Hitt, M. A., & Ireland, R. D. (2007). Managing firm resources in dynamic environments to create value: looking inside the black box. Academy of Management Review, 32, 273–292.
Sirmon, D. G., Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Gilbert, B. A. (2011). Resource orchestration to create competitive advantage: breadth, depth and life cycle effects. Journal of Management, 37(5), 1390–1412.
Stallings, B. (2016). Innovation, inclusion, and institutions: east asian lessons for Latin America. In: A. Foxley (Ed.), Innovation and inclusion: strategies to avoid the middle income trap in Latin America (pp. 1-32). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Stam, E. (2015). Entrepreneurial ecosystems and regional policy: a sympathetic critique. European Planning Studies, 23(9), 1759–1769.
Stephan, U., & Uhlaner, L. M. (2010). Performance-based vs socially supportive culture: a cross-national study of descriptive norms and entrepreneurship. Journal of International Business Studies, 41(8), 1347–1364.
Sternberg, R., & Litzenberger, T. (2004). Regional clusters in Germany - their geography and their relevance for entrepreneurial activities. European Planning Studies, 12(6), 767–791.
Stinchcombe, A. L., & March, J. G. (1965). Social structure and organizations. Handbook of organizations, 7, 142–193.
Sydow, J., Lerch, F., & Staber, U. (2010). Planning for path dependence? The case of a network in the Berlin-Brandenburg optics cluster. Economic Geography, 86(2), 173–195.
Tallman, S., Jenkins, M., Henry, N., & Pinch, S. (2004). Knowledge, clusters, and competitive advantage. Academy of Management Review, 29(2), 258–271.
Venkataraman, S. (1997). The distinctive domain of entrepreneurship research. Advances in entrepreneurship, firm emergence and growth, 3(1), 119–138.
Wasko, M. M. L., & Faraj, S. (2005). Why should I share? Examining social capital and knowledge contribution in electronic networks of practice. MIS Quarterly, 29(1), 35–57.
Willem, A., & Scarbrough, H. (2006). Social capital and political bias in knowledge sharing: an exploratory study. Human Relations, 59(10), 1343–1370.
Witte, P., Oort, F. V., Wiegmans, B., & Spit, T. (2003). European corridors as carriers of dynamic agglomeration externalities? European Planning Studies, 22(11), 2326–2350.
Yu, J., & Jackson, R. (2011). Regional innovation clusters: a critical review. Growth and Change, 42(2), 111–124.
Yukl, G., Seifert, C. F., & Chavez, C. (2008). Validation of the extended influence behavior questionnaire. The Leadership Quarterly, 19(5), 609–621.
Acknowledgements
The authors thank the generous support of the Rutgers Advanced Institute for the Study of Entrepreneurial Development (RAISED). Any errors in the manuscript are solely the responsibility of the authors.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Publisher’s note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gilbert, B.A., Li, Y., Velez-Calle, A. et al. A theoretical model of values and behaviors that shape technology region emergence in developing contexts. Small Bus Econ 55, 179–191 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-019-00137-w
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11187-019-00137-w