If we re-think clusters to frame it around the initiation of activities that focus a socioeconomic community on a project around a common prosperity cause , it heightens the need to also re-think what we mean by collaboration . Collaboration could lead to various intended and unintended outcomes . However , the concept is to lift the prosperity of place into a better condition than it was previously . It is forward looking , future oriented , and shared .
HOW MAY COLLABORATION BE THOUGHT OF DIFFERENTLY ? To succeed in this new form of competition at the level of a shared game like clusters , it requires a new way of working , whereby winning is no longer the domain of an individual business but is reliant on the contributions of the many actors to ensure the success of an integrated and interdependent ecosystem . Taken even further , if we consider the success of a place-based economy is a constant work in progress without an end , or at least consisting of an enduring end to end set of projects , overlapping , intersecting , and sometimes sequential , then the framing of winning or losing becomes a nonsense . The only competition is whether the ecosystem itself is moving in a positive direction into a space where it is at least sustained or at best improved upon how it was before or perhaps recovered from some form of external shock .
This sounds like I just relegated the idea of competition to the dust bin , but no . Competition is all important for the reasons outlined earlier . It sharpens the game . We can think about this through addressing climate change and climate action . Australia does and will face increasing competitive pressure to lift its performance on climate change policy and initiatives . There is the competition within Australia itself to meet or exceed its ‘ national ’ best to secure prosperity for future generations . The pressure to internally compete is also fuelled by the best performances of other nations . However , winning becomes somewhat irrelevant . The competitive pressure from other nations is not to produce one winner , but only to avoid losers at a global scale if nations don ’ t perform . By each nation striving to be the best , learning from the comparative performances of others , everyone benefits .
If we re-think what we mean by competition and clusters , collaboration then becomes a cornerstone of moving forward . Collaboration , from Michael Porter ’ s 1987 2 perspective was directed toward the sharing of activities that contributed to improved business performances . That view is somewhat still pervasive in business and strategy today but is not particularly helpful when the game is not about any individual business . If we take the dictionary view of what collaboration is , as a noun , it states it is the act of working with other people or organisations to create , achieve , or produce something 3 .
Collaboration frames the working together around a specific activity or project . If we wish to achieve cluster-like outcomes , then the cluster initiative becomes the prime mover . Hence a project that facilitates a collaborative working relationship aimed at lifting the socioeconomic performance of the place-based socioindustrial ecosystem , must have shared resonance with the collaborative partners . Collaboration is not just the sharing of activities but the sharing of activities with a shared purpose to improve the socioeconomic position , relative to past performance and relative to global standards , of the placed-based socioindustrial organisation .
The different kinds of projects that may , if managed well , inspire a collaboration of socio-economic actors competing for locational prosperity can be found across Australia . Different types of drivers can lead to different projects , for example :
Leveraging the advantage of natural assets : Tourism Tropical North Queensland ( TTNQ ) leverages a unique natural advantage of being the only place in the world where the ‘ rainforest meets the reef ’ 4 . TTNQ brings community together as a cluster to cooperate in the project of promoting the region and its benefits world-wide as a tourist destination . TTNQ is a membership based , industry funded peak regional visitor destination and marketing organisation for Tropical North Queensland ( TNQ ) / Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef . Collaboration is vital for the initiation and maintenance of such a clustered activity that supports the businesses and wider community in the region .
State investments : Staying in Queensland , investment projects such as the formation of Renewable Energy Zones 5 provides prospects for specific places to capture value and increase levels of local production with jobs in renewable development , manufacturing renewable components , and the expansion of existing industry sectors while providing a platform for attracting new industries . While still in its early stages , the project ( s ) should ultimately see collaborations forming between local communities , small business , manufacturers , and project developers to deliver community benefits and favourable socioeconomic outcomes .
Climate and waste crisis : The ‘ Bega Circular Valley 2030 ’ ( BCV 2030 ) in NSW is a circular economy project aiming to lead the world with a replicable model 6 . Building on and accelerating the momentum in the region , it targets activities incorporating water , waste , renewable energy , food systems and education . The initiative requires broad community input and collaboration involving cooperative ventures , domestic and international private enterprise , universities , and contributions from various levels of government , all sharing a common vision to succeed .
Sharing cultural history : The Goulburn Murray region , NSW , on the First Nation ’ s Yorta Yorta people ’ s country , conceived a transformational Indigenous Knowledge Hub initiative 7 . Through the development of a Prosperity Plan , involving local and state government backing , local community committees , a university and private enterprise , the Hub will leverage the First Nations people ’ s knowledge and culture into diverse applications , such as land management , agriculture , education , tourism , and hospitality . The aims of the Hub project are to shift community attitudes towards First Nation reconciliation through genuinely sharing cultural experience , attracting tourists to the Goulburn Murray region and developing new forms of revenue streams that will ultimately support the regional community .
Recovery and revitalisation from disruption : Industry disruption can , at times , place communities and regions into distress . For instance , the Hazelwood Power Station closed in late 2016 , in Gippsland , Victoria , with a potential devastating effect on the regional economy . The Victorian state government established the Latrobe Valley Authority ( LVA ) to support the region through a change process 8 . The LVA introduced a Smart Specialisation strategy adopted and informed by similar initiatives in Europe . The concept was to inspire
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT JOURNAL VOL 15 NO 1 2022 07