RT Journal Article
T1 The brokerage role of supporting organizations inside clusters: how does it work?
A1 Belso Martínez, José Antonio
A1 Díez Vial, Isabel
A1 López Sánchez, María José
A1 Mateu García, Rosario
AB The objective of this research is to examine in depth the brokerage roles that supporting institutions play in conducting local business and applying technical knowledge inside clusters. We identify three main roles: a coordination role, characterized by the efforts that organizations play in internally coordinating themselves and establishing a shared institutional framework; an interconnector role, where organizations foster communication along the value chain of the industry; and a gatekeeper role that allows organizations to connect cluster members with external networks. Results obtained in the Toy Valley cluster provide evidence that each kind of supporting organization tends to specialize in specific roles, since universities are best for a coordination role with regard to technical knowledge while private organizations are key for vertical communication and coordination. Similar results were obtained when analysing the extra-cluster contacts that these organizations develop as gatekeepers, as they tend to establish specific communication conduits with similar alters in external networks.
PB Taylor & Francis
SN 0965-4313
YR 2018
FD 2018
LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12329
UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12329
LA eng
NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO)
DS Docta Complutense
RD 6 abr 2025