Planning for Path Dependence? The Case of a Network in the Berlin‐Brandenburg Optics Cluster

Abstract

Much research on regional business clusters refers to path dependence as a central feature in the evolution of cluster structures. In many cases, however, little is known about the agentic processes and mechanisms that underlie path dependence. In this article, we explore changes in a specific network in the optics cluster in the German region of Berlin-Brandenburg to show that development of clusters can be driven by elements of both emergence and planning. In particular, we argue that current actors actively and purposively draw upon rules and resources that were shaped not only in the long and discontinuous history of the cluster but also in the recent process of network development that involves careful planning and well-structured planning tools. Using central concepts from structuration theory, we show how agency is implicated in the coordination of the network and how agency turns coordination into a self-reinforcing mechanism. The findings suggest that purposive planning involves a fundamental ambivalence in the processes and outcomes of path dependence, at the level of both the cluster and its constituent networks. Copyright (c) 2010 Clark University.

Platforming for Path-Breaking? The Case of Regional Electromobility Initiatives in Germany

“…Although this theory is fairly new, it has already been applied explicitly to the analysis of a nascent cluster (optics), for which the relevance of technological, institutional, and organizational factors for regional path dependence was pointed out by Sydow et al (2010). More significant, however, the theory of organizational path dependence is consistent with recent developments in the theory of regional path dependence (in the fields of economic geography and regional studies, see especially Henning et al, 2013;Martin & Sunley, 2006).…”

“…The path dependence of knowledge development has been noted for regions and geographical network trajectories (Glückler, 2007) as well as for firms and other types of organizations and their knowledge management practices (Coombs & Hull, 1998;Nooteboom, 1997). In regional clusters this phenomenon is, hence, likely to have its roots not only in technological but also institutional and organizational path dependencies (Sydow, Lerch, & Staber, 2010).…”

Dependência e criação de trajetória na organização não governamental parceiros voluntários

“…A dependência de trajetória é marcada pela interferência do passado nas escolhas futuras (Barney, 2001;Mahoney, 2000;Sydow, Lerch, & Staber, 2010) e quando há tendência de reprodução e permanência temporal. Para Leonard-Barton (1992), o conhecimento acumula-se durante a trajetória da organização, de maneira que as atividades acabam sendo influenciadas lenta e rotineiramente.…”

Globalization and inter-local cooperation : the mediating roles of local contexts in the global North and South.

“…In the case of Chicago, even though globalization, with its focus on governance efficiency, created the need for some level of coordination, localities bent on maintaining the status quo managed to ensure the prevalence of political fragmentation. Specifically, structural mechanisms steeped in history led to the entrenchment of decentralization, lending credence to the assertion by Sydow et al (2010) on the structural import associated with path-dependency. Moreover, the development reinforced the argument by Martin and Sunley (2006) regarding the placespecific attributes associated with path-dependency.…”

“…Also, as articulated in the work in Sydow et al (2010), the import of human agency on the part of bureaucrats in the public sector ensured that the path of centralization was not broken.…”