Development of a Cluster Manager’s Competencies Towards Competitivenesss
Martin Horak, Jana Matoskova, Lukas Danko
Keywords:
self-development, cluster manager, development methods, development tools
Abstract:
Cluster managers have less authority compared to managers in companies, with the work of cluster
managers based rather on negotiation than on issuing instructions. Nevertheless, dynamic
changes regarding environment and customer needs in general have taken place, and ensuring
that employees have adequate knowledge and skills has become necessary for companies to gain
a competitive advantage. Thus, the development of competencies in cluster management is more
relevant in terms of the changing nature of competencies in order to enhance competitiveness.
A research gap, however, has emerged in terms of studies analyzing developmental activities to
increase the skills and knowledge of cluster managers, including their abilities to support cluster
development and related competitiveness issues. The main objective of the present paper is to
identify possible methods of developing cluster managers competencies in order to increase the
competitiveness of cluster organizations. To accomplish these research goals, the paper employs
semi-structured interviews with Czech cluster managers, with primary data analyzed via coding
based on thematic analysis and codes subsequently grouped into categories for conceptualization.
The findings indicate that development of cluster managers lags behind in terms of lack of
motivation enhancement and time, lack of finance, idleness, negative experiences, administrative
tasks as well as personal traits. The main criteria for developing competencies in cluster organizations
are reflected in activities focused on the ability to innovate, lead and protect in terms
of trust building, all skills essential for enhancing the competitiveness of cluster organizations.
Cluster managers select development activities based on topics and references to educational
activities which they estimate mainly from practical experience based on recommendations by
experienced practitioners. Finally, the study puts forth practical guidelines regarding self-development
methods recommended by the respondents for developing competencies in cluster
development and competitiveness.
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 10.7441/joc.2020.01.04
Horak, M., Matoskova, J., & Danko, L. (2020). Development of a Cluster Manager’s Competencies
Towards Competitivenesss. Journal of Competitiveness, 12(1), 57–73. https://doi.org/10.7441/joc.2020.01.04
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