1 Knowledge governance within clusters: The case of small firms

Despite the vast literature on knowledge management, little research has addressed the specificities of knowledge integration at the cluster level. Moreover, the cluster literature has not focused on the role that governance may play in knowledge management. This paper aims at bridging these two fields and filling this gap by analyzing the role of cluster governance in knowledge management. An empirical study of two small French firm clusters was carried out. These clusters are characterized by distinct knowledge management processes. In both cases, governance is necessary in order to support knowledge integration by member firms. Our results suggest that establishing an initial common knowledge base seems a prerequisite in order for the external knowledge identification and acquisition processes to take place. The activist role played by governance also seems more efficient than that of a broker. We discuss these results and their implications for policy-makers and cluster players