Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emerald-srm:468524 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/ authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of small to medium-sized enterprise (SME) clustering processes initiated from the bottom up. In particular, this paper seeks to tackle the major setbacks encountered by a group of Spanish SMEs with long tradition in the chemical sector on their way to setting up a cluster.Design/methodology/approach -The authors propose a collaborative action research approach. The fact that the study was carried out within the framework of the EU-FP7 CADIC project made this approach particularly suitable. The intervention strategies along the cluster development cycle are especially focused.Findings -Collective and distributed leadership, collaborative culture, communication, dynamic relational capabilities, and a shared vision or purpose are all necessary and critical, though not sufficient elements, for the success of SME bottom-up clusters. The timeframe of the strategic interventions and the roles of the partners are equally fundamental.Practical implications -The practical implications are to enhance SMEs' clusters management capacity and collaboration readiness; to promote more business-grounded and effective cluster policies; and to contribute to enlighten the discussions about the opportunity/appropriateness of cluster evaluation frameworks/policies addressed to enact collaboration, when the focus is the SME.Originality/value -This study suggests that misalignments in the triad roles-purpose-culture among the cluster partners could bring about dysfunctions and lead the cluster to a prolonged ''projectism'' and early degeneration. Particularly, it highlights the fundamental role of the ''roles'' displayed in the cluster in achieving success. These roles are dynamic and emergent mechanisms of adaptation of the cluster to the internal and external environmental changes.

In this chapter we aim to consider both dialectical and dialogical systems, local and regional policies and practice implications for the communication and management of the creative as well as destructive conflict within networks and what else may be needed by cooperating parties as a support infrastructure to assist the development and growth of SME innovation networks. We firstly outline key terms, concepts and issues about innovation, collaboration and the goals set for business incubators by the European Union and globally, contrasting these with each other. We provide an overview of the role of key stakeholders, systems and research analyses, discussion and recommendations indicating our own. These recommendations will be informed by some case studies we have been engaged in as well as the wider research literature canon on these topics.