Knowledge Transfer in Regional Industry Clusters for Organizational Resilience

Purpose - The aim of the current study was to identify and analyse success factors of knowledge transfer in innovation processes of regional industry clusters that increase organizations' and, in turn, clusters' resilience. Design & Methodology - The research process consists of three parts: literature review looking at success factors for inter-organizational knowledge transfer in innovation processes, empirical study on the identified factors, and statistical as well as analytical evaluation of the results. Object of the study was Silicon Saxony, Germany - a regional high-tech cluster of producing and developing companies, research and education institutions, suppliers, service providers, and consultancies. After combining the identified factors, derived hypotheses concerning the dependency and correlation were analysed using a standardized online survey: knowledge-and innovation managers of all member organizations of the Silicon Saxony Association were contacted. A total of 55 representatives completed the questionnaire. Originality & Value - Up to now, research in this field is little and studies are mostly theoretical or qualitative. The current quantitative-empirical study puts dependencies and correlations of factors in evidence that support inter-organizational knowledge transfer in innovation processes building up resilience. Innovation culture was identified as the central factor. Furthermore, with the results four types of organizations were identified and characterized by indicating their participation in the regional industry cluster and their understanding of knowledge transfer. Practical implications - The results of the study offer a cross-disciplinary argumentation for managers to improve innovation culture and their participation in clusters, which in turn, increases their organizational resilience. Mangers are equipped with instruments measuring success factors for knowledge transfer. With the results they can identify weak points in their organization and improve them.