There is a general acceptance that social capital and trust are critical for effective cluster development. While this behavioural additionality forms the central rationale for cluster policies, it remains poorly captured in evaluation. This paper explores progress in evidencing the ‘human element’ in cluster performance.
The paper describes a long-term process of collaboration between academics, cluster policy-makers and cluster practitioners, which has brought together theory and practice to co-design new approaches to improve cluster policy evaluation. This addresses gaps in evaluation practice by exploring how the human elements that are intrinsic to effective collaborative dynamics can be better understood and evidenced. It explores how to define different aspects of the human elements that underlie collaboration, and how to evidence and track the strengthening of those elements. It has implications beyond cluster evaluation given the importance of multidisciplinary and collaborative research programmes for the engaged university.
Specifically, the paper offers a unique combination of theoretical and practical knowledge to bridge gaps in cluster evaluation practice through: (i) a definition/scoping of the human elements central to the collaborative dynamics for clusters in practice; and (ii) the development and testing of a survey tool to track progress in human element/cluster dynamics in cluster initiatives. It articulates a definition of the human elements and reports on initial testing of indicators through a pilot process that is proving useful for policy makers and cluster managers, providing information to inform the strategy and operational activities of the collaborative initiative.