{"id":1223,"date":"2019-04-23T09:56:26","date_gmt":"2019-04-23T09:56:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/?p=1223"},"modified":"2019-04-23T10:13:56","modified_gmt":"2019-04-23T10:13:56","slug":"the-cambridge-cluster-lessons-of-obliquity-serendipity-and-proximity-on-the-road-to-innovation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/the-cambridge-cluster-lessons-of-obliquity-serendipity-and-proximity-on-the-road-to-innovation\/","title":{"rendered":"The Cambridge Cluster \u2013 lessons of obliquity, serendipity and proximity on the road to innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
There was a clear sense of the Cambridge cluster as an entity with its own character, history and distinct qualities. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Professor Rick Delbridge spent last Michaelmas Term as Visiting Fellow at Sidney Sussex College, University of Cambridge<\/a>. As Cardiff University Dean of Research, Innovation and Enterprise, Professor Delbridge had the opportunity to view the Cambridge regional innovation ecosystem or \u2018cluster,\u2019 and to speak openly with a wide cross-section of cluster participants. Here, he writes about the opportunities and challenges that surround the \u2018Cambridge Phenomenon.\u2019\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

During my time at Cambridge, I sought\nto answer two fundamental questions: how does the Cambridge cluster work, and\nwhat aspects will be of interest to my own institution and region here in\nCardiff as we deepen our innovation activity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I met around 30 people closely\ninvolved in the Cambridge regional innovation ecosystem: academics, university\ninnovation and enterprise professionals, entrepreneurs and investors, managers\nof innovation centres, and senior corporate managers. Their views provided an\narray of valuable insights. Here I seek to provide a very succinct summary of\nwhat is a complex and deeply embedded phenomenon.     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, there was a clear sense of the\nCambridge cluster as an entity with its own character, history and distinct\nqualities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Proximity\nof the cluster (both physical and in terms of social relationships) was\nroutinely cited (\u2018Cambridge is a village\u2019). Closeness made relationships and\ncommunication easier, and provided cohesiveness and coherence to activity.\nHowever, a number of people noted the \u2018politics\u2019 of a village could make it\ndifficult to gain entry into tightly formed social settings (\u2018It\u2019s very\ndifficult to get involved, you need to prove yourself\u2019). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serendipity\nfeatured in discussions around the cluster\u2019s original development and in terms\nof how it functions (chance meetings, the cluster as a \u2018melting pot\u2019 etc.), but\nit must be matched by a capacity to be responsive and to collaborate in\nrelatively open-ended ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are\nmultiple networks and \u2018communities\u2019 that promote and sustain this activity,\nmost of which are relatively \u2018bottom-up\u2019 and self-organized. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A sense of\nidentity informed the views of the vast majority of people I met. Many referred\nto the historical development of the cluster, the central importance of\nscientific discovery, and the cluster\u2019s unique qualities.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many also\nidentified with a proactively constructed and widely promoted \u2018cluster\nnarrative.\u2019 <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u2018Cambridge\nPhenomenon\u2019<\/a>, the (re-)construction of the historical narratives\naround the emergence of the cluster, and the continuing prominent contribution\nof key individuals have all helped to build and maintain this cluster identity.\nThe \u2018story\u2019 has influenced how people understand and<\/em> shape the cluster\u2019s\ndevelopment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cambridge\u2019s\ngeographical position and where it is not<\/em> (London, Silicon Valley or\nOxford) were also key to this identity, along with characteristics including\nopenness, sharing, connectedness, informality, the celebration of success,\ncollective endeavour, and the organic and emergent nature of many of the\nactivities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo particularly striking components – ambiguity and obliquity – define the cluster\u2019s functionality. They help distinguish the Cambridge cluster from many other broadly similar phenomena.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Individuals\nroutinely described circumstances where there were no established \u2018rules\u2019, and\nwhere more than one set of conventions existed: a characteristic of Cambridge\nUniversity itself over many centuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A lack of clear and inflexible rules\nand conventions provides space for innovative ways of thinking and doing, but\nambiguity can be inefficient, and seen as unsupportive by \u2018newcomers\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst ambiguity promotes a permissive\nand participative approach, some cluster participants feel \u2018people are left to\nsink or swim\u2019 and that problems arise in seeking to \u2018leverage\u2019 strengths and\npresent a coordinated position when much remains unspoken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obliquity suggests goals are more\nlikely to be achieved if tackled indirectly. Individuals regularly described how the cluster grew through \u2018benign\nneglect\u2019, \u2018it\u2019s a case of trial and error and experimentation\u2019, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

An oblique approach builds on constant\nadaptation and centres on the end itself, not the means. Successes and failures\nlead to the reassessment of objectives and activities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Views on obliquity varied widely. Some\nindividuals were positive, whilst others bemoaned a lack of coordination, the proliferation\nof activities, and the failure to directly \u2018leverage\u2019 resources. A small number\neven said efforts to be more harmonised had been blocked, contradicting the\nespoused \u2018open\u2019 character of the cluster. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How will the cluster adapt to its\nchanging context? The prospect of change prompted varied responses. Should it\nbe incremental or radical,\nevolutionary or strategically directed? Some felt a more interventionist and\ncentrally coordinated approach might disrupt the ecology; others viewed this as\na \u2018natural progression\u2019 and believed the system would adapt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Integrity lies at the heart of this\nquestion. Can change be strategically coordinated whilst remaining true to the\nprinciples that smooth the current functioning of the cluster? And if more\nradical, disruptive change is needed, will the integrity of the cluster in\nterms of its \u2018completeness\u2019 and cohesion survive? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The question of the cluster\u2019s future\ndirection prompted a wide array of opinions. One was a sense of \u2019generational\u2019 ageing as key figures near\nretirement. There were divergent views on how much central coordination was\npossible to tackle that generational shift, and a sense that change was coming\nwhether or not the cluster sought to coordinate at a strategic level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cResearch in regional economic development shows resilient clusters are those that can disconnect their cycle of development from the lifecycle of the technologies at their heart.\u201d <\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Clusters will be resilient when their\nknowledge networks succeed in reinforcing the core while maintaining knowledge\nflows between the core of established actors and the periphery of new entrants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Through encouraging connectivity\nbetween the core and periphery, a cluster can evolve towards a new explorative\nand engineering phase, embracing and developing technologies and avoiding\nover-reliance on the technological bases of past success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clusters can weaken if they act to\nrestrict novelty of knowledge flows and the creative stimulation from new\nentrants. Likewise, strong networks ease communication but they can inhibit\ninnovation as relationships often form amongst like-minded actors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Previous work on networks of\ninnovation (including some of my own research) has advanced the value of the\nproactive search for new partners, the nurturing of new potential ties and the\nmaintenance of latent ties as a source of future knowledge and resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Actions such as fostering system\ndiversity and encouraging modularity can help clusters weather economic \u2018system\nshocks\u2019. Policy development needs to shift away from steady-state thinking, and\nplan for alternative futures or scenarios. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

During my time in Cambridge, it was\nnot clear to me that \u2018policy development\u2019 at cluster level was a prominent or\ninfluential activity, notwithstanding the mobilization of some activity at this\nlevel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A body of research, including work by Cardiff Professors Gillian Bristow<\/a> and Adrian Healy<\/a>, has shown polycentric and agile governance arrangements can help clusters to flex, where single, central organizations would struggle to handle complexity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A policy approach that acknowledges\nthe central significance of nonlinearity, unpredictability and the importance\nof feedback and learning means clusters will require effective data management\nsystems, swift transfers of knowledge and learning between key actors, and\nflexible institutions if they are to survive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Overall, the Cambridge Cluster seems\nwell placed to grow in future: effective networking, responsiveness, and\nflexibility are characteristic of how the cluster currently self-organizes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Cardiff and Cambridge are very\ndifferent places and universities, there are lessons for us to learn: the\nconcrete frames of our latest Innovation Campus buildings will soon be in\nplace, redefining both the city\u2019s skyline and our own approach to innovation\nhere in Wales. We need to ensure our policies and practices evolve in ways that\npromote and support innovation, that we are receptive to an openness of\ncommunication and collaboration, and that we build shared narratives and trust\nto guide and sustain our shared enterprise as a university and a region.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Professor\nRick Delbridge<\/a><\/strong> is the\nUniversity Dean of Research, Innovation and Enterprise and Academic Lead for\nthe forthcoming Social Science\nResearch Park<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There was a clear sense of the Cambridge cluster as an entity with its own character, history and distinct qualities. Professor Rick Delbridge spent last Michaelmas Term as Visiting Fellow […]","protected":false},"author":1581,"featured_media":1225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[36],"tags":[29,514,402,702,701,703,696,122,37,699,700,550,484,704,697,698],"class_list":["post-1223","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-innovation","tag-academics","tag-cambridge","tag-clusters","tag-communications","tag-corporate","tag-discovery","tag-enterprise","tag-entrepreneurs","tag-innovation","tag-investors","tag-managers","tag-regions","tag-relationships","tag-science","tag-sidney-sussex-college","tag-university-of-cambridge"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paOfaS-jJ","meta_box":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/620\/2019\/04\/Cambridge-in-watercolour.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1223","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1581"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1223"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1223\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1229,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1223\/revisions\/1229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1225"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1223"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1223"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.cardiff.ac.uk\/business-school\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1223"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}