Transitioning from an economic cluster to a collaborative community: mining projects in Greenland

Abstract

This paper analyzes the Greenlandic business community and the recently established cluster relevant to extractive industries in Greenland, Arctic Cluster of Raw Materials (ACRM), to enhance local business development in mining projects in Greenland. The analysis directs toward a transition from an economic cluster to a collaborative community in order to increase business potential and to overcome limitations of smallness and inadequate competencies of the Greenlandic business community in the mining industry. Transitioning into a collaborative community creates more value by enabling member firms to realize business development that each single firm could not achieve with its own efforts by being a part of a cluster. Managing the transition process emphasizes the facilitating role for the reason that a shared service provider is required in every collaborative community. I develop a conceptual model for the transition from an economic cluster to a collaborative community based on the architectural elements of the collaborative community design. The conceptual model considers the five proximity dimensions that influence inter-firm linkages both as enablers and barriers to the transition process and collaboration. Collaboration represents a new approach to business and industrial development in remote regions of the Arctic, as challenges evident for Greenland can be found throughout the entire Arctic.

Design as an interactive boundary object

“…Similarly, Romme and Endenburg (2006) offered the notion of organizational decisions occurring through a "circular design" process, wherein the inputs of individuals from one circle links with other circles to generate informed consent. Fostering continued interactions among parties (with often competing interests) is also central to the design and formation of collaborative communities for business development in non-preferential economic zones such as Greenland (Kadenic 2017).…”

Fit, misfit, and design: JOD studies that touch reality

“…In her ethnographic field study using an information processing lenses in hospital emergency rooms, Duvald (2019) found misfits that compromised the quality of care. Duvald mapped the information flows and decision-making to demonstrate the continuing Applying a single case study of cluster formation to collaborative community design, Kadenic (2017) interviewed key informants in the local community, many governmental agencies, and businesses; further, she examined documents, reports, and other data sources. The question is to describe and understand how a cluster can become a collaborative community where the members worked together, yet achieve their own individual goals.…”

“…The challenge is to select the joint tasks which will yield fit for the organization. Hasan and Koning have both broadened the domain of organization design, but also suggested that we need to know more about this process where field experiments can help give a more nuanced answer Kadenic (2017)…”

Designing organised clusters as social actors: a meta-organisational approach

“…In particular, the meta-organisational perspective has been gaining scholarly attention as a way to better understand the logic, structure and nature of 'organised' clustering (cf. Fen Chong 2009;Gadille et al 2013;Viachka 2013;Kadenic 2017;Lupova-Henry et al 2019).…”