Industry clusters as network organizations

Abstract

Industry clusters as a specific form of networked organizations in a given industry and territory have become highly popular tools of economic policies in recent decades and are recognized as an important instrument for promoting industrial development, innovation, competitiveness and growth. The goal of the paper is to outline the development of clusters, cluster initiatives and cluster policies in the Czech Republic, which originated between 2003 and 2013 and were financially supported by EU structural funds. After a brief theoretical background, the overall view of cluster development at the national level is explained. The leader in cluster development was the old industrial region of Moravia-Silesia with its mining, metallurgy and heavy machinery industries. The case of the Czech machinery cluster demonstrated that the creation of cluster initiatives does not guarantee future cluster success without the involvement of key business players.