16. Pregled Programa Razvoja Klastera-1

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OVERALL CLUSTERDEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMEREPORT FEB 2011 JUN2013

Support to ClusterDevelopment

Contract No.IPA2007/HR/16IPO/001020601

Identification No:EuropeAid/127604/D/SER/HR

Prepared for the Ministry ofEntrepreneurship and Crafts,Ministry of Economy, theCentral Finance andContracting Agency (CFCA)and the Government of theRepublic of Croatia

June 2013


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Cluster Development Programme Final Report

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Table of Contents

Executive Summary .............................................................................................................. 1 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 3

1.1 Purpose and Context of the Report ............................... ................................ ............................... 3

2. The Development of the Cluster Development Programme ............................................... 3 2.1 Results of The Training Needs Analysis ............................ ................................. ......................... 3 2.2 The Approach and Methodology Adopted by the CDP ............................................. ............... 4 2.3 The Conceptual Underpinning of the Cluster Development Programme .............................. 5 2.4 Programme Organisation and Logistics ............................ ................................. ........................ 11

3. Participation on the Cluster Development Programme ......................................................... 13 3.1 Introduction ............................... ................................. ................................. ................................ ... 13 3.2 Foundation Stage ................................. ................................. ............................... .................... 13 3.3 Consolidation Stage .................................. ................................. ............................... .................... 14 3.4 Growth Stage ............................ ................................. ................................. ................................. .. 21 3.5 New Foundation Stage and Combined Consolidation/Growth Workshops (Feb-Jun

2013).......................................................................................................................................... 25 3.6 Conclusions .............................................................................................................................. 31

4. Participant Evaluations ................................................................................................... 32 4.1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 32 4.2 Foundation Stage ......................................................................................................................... 32 4.3 Consolidation Stage ............................ ................................. ................................. ....................... 34

4.3.1 Phase 1 Strategic Planning and Innovation Workshops ................ ....................... 34 4.3.2 Phase 1 - Work Organisation and Project Management .............................. ............ 35 4.3.3 Phase 1 Marketing and Branding ................................. ................................ ............. 36 4.3.4 Phase 2 Strategic Planning and Innovation ............................... ............................. 38 4.3.5 Phase 2 Work Organisation and Project Management ............................. ............ 39 4.3.6 Phase 2 Marketing and Branding ........................................... ................................ ... 41

4.4 Growth Stage ............................ ................................. ................................. ................................. . 42 4.4.1 Workshop 1: Putting in the Foundations for Growth ............................ .................. 42 4.4.2 Workshop 2: Developing the Potential for Growth............................... .................. 44 4.4.3 Workshop 3: Managing Change and Growth Projects ................................ ............ 45

4.5 New Foundation and Combined Consolidation/Growth Stage Workshops (Feb -Jun2013).......................................................................................................................................... 46 4.5.1 February 2013 Workshops ............................... ................................ ............................. 46 4.5.2 March 2013 Workshops ....................................... ................................. ....................... 48 4.5.3 June 2013 Workshops ................................ ................................. ................................ .. 50

4.6 Conclusions ............................... ................................. ................................. ................................ .. 52 5. Conclusions ............................................................................................................. 52


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Executive Summary

The report reviews the experiences of the Support to Cluster Development Re-launch Projectin developing and delivering the Cluster Development Programme (CDP), a major training andlearning development programme which was targeted towards cluster managers, cluster membersand potential members, the business support community and the university/research institutecommunity in Croatia.

The original concept for the CDP was built upon a training needs analysis (TNA) conducted withthe business support community, cluster members and other cluster stakeholders. The topicsidentified as key areas of training need were married with an organisational development approachto ensure that the CDP workshops were focused upon problem-solving at key points of clusterdevelopment.

The CDP was originally delivered between February-December 2012. During that time, there were48 days of workshops delivered in three phases: Foundation (considering start-up issues forcluster organisations), Consolidation (considering survival and sustainability issues for clusterorganisations) and Growth (considering growth and internationalisation issues for clusterorganisations). In the case of the Foundation Stage workshop, this was delivered over two days.The Consolidation Stage workshops were delivered as three individual workshops: StrategicPlanning and Innovation, Work Organisation and Project Management; and Marketing andBranding for Clusters. The Growth Stage workshops, which were conceptually underpinned by aUniversity of Durham framework for organisational growth, were also delivered as three individualworkshops. These were Putting in the Foundations for Growth; Developing the Potential forGrowth and finally, Managing Change and Growth Projects.

Due to continuing high demand a further set of so- called newFoundation Stage workshops(which was a revised version of the original Foundation Stage workshops which incorporated theProject Teams experience of cluster development in Croatia) and a combinedConsolidation/Growth workshop which selected key aspects of the six workshops delivered underthe Consolidation and Growth stages. A further 16 days of workshops were delivered betweenFebruary and June 2013.

In total, there have been 931 participants on the CDP of which the majority were from the private

sector. 474 were women and 457 were men representing a 51:49 percentage split. The Project hastherefore been very successful in engaging women and the private sector on the CDP workshops.There were difficulties in engaging the university/research institutions and participation remainedvery low. This might reflect the real and perceptual barriers which exist in Croatia in gettingindustry- academia collaboration to work which is an essential part of building the triple helix.

In terms of evaluations of the workshops, the overwhelming majority of participants were positiveabout all aspects of delivery. Very few expressed any dissatisfaction with the content, thefacilitators or the materials and this was borne out also by the qualitative information provided tothe Project Team.

There were a number of key suggestions made by participants for how the climate for cluster

development could be improved in Croatia and some of the key suggestions were: The Government of Croatia putting in place long term funding schemes (using EUStructural Funds) to support cluster organisations to become self-sustaining. There was


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considerable dissatisfaction with the existing funding regime for clusters which appears tooffer relatively small as well as inconsistent funding;

Developing a mechanism to support the professionalization of cluster managers in Croatiaeither through the creation of a new institution or through an existing managementdevelopment organisation;

Furthermore, to ensure that the cluster stakeholder community is able to benefit from theCDP materials it is recommended that they be transferred to an appropriate institution(e.g. a University).


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1. Introduction

1.1 Purpose and Context of the Report

This report represents an overview of the delivery of the Cluster Development Programme (CDP)and comprises a collation of a number of different reports, which have considered the Foundation(Activity 3.1d), Consolidation and Growth Stages (Activity 3.1c) of the Programme. The CDP wasdelivered between February-December 2012 originally.

However, due to continued demand for places from cluster stakeholders, a new round ofworkshops was delivered from February 2013 until the end of the Project in June 2013. The

workshops delivered were so- called new Foundation Stage workshops and two -day combinedConsolidation/Growth workshops.

The report will consider the following: The original concept for the CDP; The approach used to deliver the CDP; and The results achieved by the CDP in terms of participation and evaluation by participants; The nature of participation in terms of cluster stakeholder groups and gender; Suggestions from participants on how the environment for cluster development can be

improved in Croatia; How sustainability can be achieved for the CDP so that there is a long-term legacy and

benefits for cluster stakeholders.2. The Development of the Cluster Development Programme

2.1 Results of The Training Needs Analysis

The CDP was developed on the basis of a Training Needs Analysis survey that was conducted asActivity 3.1a of the Project. The Training Needs Analysis (TNA) exercise identified six key focalareas of training needs. These are set out in the table below.1. Cluster strategy

development cluster model selection, legal form and formation procedures

2. Cluster financing sourcing of funds and financial management skills3. Cluster Marketing communication and promotion strategies, tools and techniques

4. ProjectManagement

sourcing, proposal writing, mobilizing and management of B2Bprojects

5. Personaleffectiveness skills

teambuilding and the skills of fostering collaborative efforts

6. InnovationManagement

incremental, substantial and radical innovation in the context ofcluster competitiveness

Source: SCDP TNA Report, October 2011

Skills training identified by the Training Needs Analysis are summarised in the table below:


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1. General Managementand PersonalEffectiveness Skills

1.1 Cluster formation skills + techniques1.2 Networking skills1.3 Teamwork + collaboration skills1.4 Facilitation + training skills1.5 Communication skills1.6 Strategic planning; Negotiation; Presentation skills1.7 Cluster promotion skills

2. Cluster Formationand Organisation

2.1 Legal advisory on cluster formation2.2 Operative management of a cluster2.3 Principles of clustering benefits + obligations of clustermembership2.4 How to organise + maintain clusters in a organisational andfinancial sense2.5 How to recognise the need or opportunity to establish a cluster

3. Project Management 3.1 Preparing tender proposals3.2 Sourcing + securing funds for clusters3.3 How to create, initiate, develop, implement and monitor projectsfor cluster members

4. Study Tours andCase Studies

4.1 Study tours +visits to successful clusters in EU.

Source: Training Needs Analysis Report, SCDP, October 2011

The TNA also identified that the cluster community did not want more standard PowerPoint-based lecturing. They wanted discussion based, case-study/practical example driven interactiveworkshops. These desirable attributes were factored into the design of the Cluster DevelopmentProgramme and this is the approach that was delivered at the Foundation Stage and at allsubsequent stages.

2.2 The Approach and Methodology Adopted by the CDP

The approach and methodology underpinning the delivery process was driven by the fundamental

tenet of adult learning - that adults do not learn by being lectured to. Learning is best achievedwhen the methodology is driven by self-learning. The course, therefore, focused heavily onParticipative Training Methods and included, at its core, the concept of action learning which isfocused on the philosophy that:

Participants learn by doing; They learn from each other; They learn from exercises as individuals in pairs and in groups; They learn from discussions by sharing knowledge, ideas and experiences; They learn from tutor inputs - presentational, interventionist during exercises and through

learning point extractions at the end of presentations and exercises.


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Relevant and appropriate theories, concepts and models were used to both set the context fordiscussion and to provide tools for addressing the issues when dealing with a specificproblem/pain-point of a particular participa nt, or the groups in general. The emphasis was tomake sure that participants understood and can now apply theoretical knowledge and concepts inreal life situations when solving issues related to their clusters.

The approach was heavily interactive and personalised to the dynamics within the groups indifferent locations, with multiple, discussions taking place. The discussions were solutionfocused and imparted learning through the pursuit of these solutions, learning in the process, fromeach other and from the experience of the workshop facilitators.

2.3 The Conceptual Underpinning of the Cluster Development Programme

The CDP was designed on a modular basis. The strength of this was that participants could pickand choose the appropriate training for them. Furthermore, the programme had the following threephases as outlined in the diagram below:

Source: Cluster Development Programme Concept Paper, December 2011

The core concept of the programme is that cluster organisations are institutions which are similarin certain respects to SMEs. They have different needs at different stages of development. TheFoundation stage focuses on ensuring that the foundations of the cluster organisation are in placeto enable it to start and move to the stage where it can be consolidated (be sustained and

developed the second phase). The third phase, that of growth, focuses on growing the clustereither with a large increase in members or broadening the geographical scope of the clusterorganisation (i.e. increasing its geographical coverage within Croatia and internationalisation) or


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looking to broaden its sectoral scope (i.e. recruiting members from upstream or downstreamsectors).

The primary intended target groups for participants on the CDP were:Target Group Description Cluster Managers The programme was primarily focused on individuals who are managing

clusters or are considering cluster management as a career.Cluster Champions SME owner-managers and senior managers of large companies who have the

potential to drive forward the cluster and who would work closely with thecluster manager in developing the cluster. These are potential (or existing)cluster organisation board members.

Business SupportService Professionals

Business support service professionals within such organisations such asthe Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), Chamber of Economy (HGK)

and Chamber of Crafts (HOK) who have responsibility for cluster supportand development.University/ResearchInstitution Personnel

To ensure better working of the triple helix within clusters, members ofthe academic/research community with interest and responsibility forworking with industry, and specifically with clusters, were also invited toparticipate in the programme.

On developing the agenda for the original Foundation Stage programme it was agreed by theProject Team that the workshops would be delivered between 9.30 a.m. and 4 p.m. asrecommended by the Training Needs Analysis report.

The Foundation Stage of the Cluster Development Programme originally had the structure shown

in the diagram below:


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Source: Cluster Development Programme Concept Paper, December 2011.

As mentioned, above, the timing was extended by 30 minutes in comparison to the originalconcept.

The agenda for the programme was developed on the basis of the four topic areas in the diagramabove although the level of inputs on each were changed to increase the emphasis on EU bestpractice and cluster management and organisation and to reduce the content on legal formats andfinancing. This reorganisation was felt to be more appropriate for the needs of the actualparticipants who attended the programme.

The subsequent Consolidation Stage programme would originally have comprised a three-dayworkshop. However, following discussion with the Project Steering Committee in April 2012, itwas agreed that the workshops would be packaged as a group of three one-day workshops. In part,this was due to it being felt that expecting participants to attend three days in a working weekwould be a considerable ask and would reduce the level of participation. Furthermore, it was alsofelt that it would be better to enable participants to have the opportunity to apply tools andtechniques discussed in each workshop prior to attending the subsequent workshop.

Grounded in the findings of the Training Needs Analysis, the three workshops were developed anddelivered as follows:


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Consolidation Stage Workshops

1. Strategy andInnovation

Focused on strategic planning and the role of innovation in thedevelopment of clusters.

2. Work Organisationand ProjectManagement

Focused on the personal organisation and project management skillsneeded by cluster managers and those who support clusterdevelopment.

3. Marketing andBranding forClusters

Focused on the development of marketing and branding for clusters.Uses a considerable number of case studies demonstrating theeffective use of marketing and branding techniques by clusters (andother organisations as appropriate).

Again, the target groups were very similar to those for the original Foundation Stage workshopswith perhaps the exception of the Cluster Manager group. The Cluster Managers would, ideally,be beyond the issues faced in starting a cluster, and would be looking for guidance and ideas fromthe workshops on how to better sustain their cluster organisations.

In similar fashion, the Growth Stage programme was developed to be delivered as a series of threeone-day workshops. The three workshops delivered were as follows:

Growth Stage Workshops

1. Putting in theFoundations forGrowth

Introduced participants to issues in growing clusters and adiagnostic framework for growth.

2. Developing thePotential for Growth

Focused on key issues such as financing growth and developingleadership skills for growing clusters.

3. ChangeManagement andGrowth Projects

Focused on growth project identification and managing change inclusters using specific case studies where relevant and appropriate.

The Growth Stage workshops were targeted to the same groups as in the Consolidation Stage. TheGrowth Stage workshops have been conceptually underpinned by a diagnostic framework thatwas originally developed at the University of Durham in the UK. This framework takes a holisticlook at organisations (in this specific case, cluster organisations) and can be summarised using thediagram below:


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The basis of the growth model is that growth is a strategic process. To grow the organisationneeds to move from a point A (where we are now) to a point B (where we would like to go). Thechallenge is firstly to identify where the organisation currently is, secondly to identify where itwould like to go and then thirdly to make an assessment of whether the organisation is in a fitenough state to make the journey. To assess this, we can use a diagnostic tool.

There are a number of factors which also need to be considered in planning the growth journey andwhich are going to have an important impact on the likely success in reaching the end goal(s).Firstly, what is the extent and depth of change that will be required, and how much time isavailable to achieve the growth journey. Change in a very short timeframe (radical change) can bemuch harder to manage and achieve than gradual change. This needs to be factored into growthplans. Furthermore, since humans do not have perfect foresight it is possible that the growthprojects may not achieve the outcomes expected (either the organisation may fall short of itstargets or perhaps even exceed certain targets) and there are a range of possibilities that thecluster organisation might achieve. Growth projects can be blown off course due to a number ofinternal factors (factors which are, to a greater extent within the control of the organisation e.g.strategy, systems, staff, etc.) and external factors (factors which are not within the control of the

organisation such as the state of the economy, social and cultural factors, the politicalenvironment, the legislative environment, etc.).


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The diagnostic tool has three parts (see the diagram below): The first part assesses the currentperformance of the cluster (organisation). The second assesses the base potential for growth of thecluster (organisation). The third part assesses the potential growth projects that are the potentialvehicles for growing the cluster (organisation).

The current performance can be assessed in three core areas: in terms of performance in the marketin which the cluster organisation operates; the effectiveness of its operations; and in terms of howthe cluster organisation is performing financially and the effectiveness of the control systems usedto manage the cluster organisation.

The potential for growth can be assessed in five areas including:To include by not be limited to

Resource base The resources available to grow the cluster organisation (e.g. finance,staff, premises, equipment, etc.).

Experience base Experience of implementing previous growth projects (if any).Control base The quality of the internal management systems within the cluster

organisation.Ideas base The sources and quality of ideas that are being actively considered to

grow the cluster organisation and the level of innovation within thecluster organisation.


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Leadership base The quality of leadership of the cluster organisation and who is goingto be responsible for leading and/or championing the growthproject(s).

The specific growth project(s) can be assessed in terms of:

Objectives What are the objectives of the growth project (e.g. increasing thenumber of members of the cluster organisation or the development ofa joint product by existing members)?

Market Which market is the cluster organisation going to operate in(perhaps increasing the geographical scope of the clusterorganisation or the range of sectors that the cluster organisationcovers or targeting a specific market with a joint product)?

Scale and Resources The scale of the proposed growth project and the additionalresources that are likely to be required to implement it?

Management Ability andCommitment

Who is going to deliver the growth project and do they have thenecessary skills and commitment?

Financial Projections The associated financial projections linked to the project (cash flow,profit and loss, balance sheet, etc.).

The CDP Growth Stage workshops have therefore been organised around use of the growthframework and to focus on specific aspects of it. The first workshop was therefore Putting in theFoundations for Growth, the second workshop was Developing the Potential for Growth and

the third and final workshop was Managing Change and Growth Projects: A Problem SolvingApproach.

2.4 Programme Organisation and Logistics

The original CDP was organised, without exception in the five main centres identified in theProject Terms of Reference, namely: Osijek, Rijeka, Split, Varadin and Zagreb.

At each stage of the CDP (Foundation, Consolidation and Growth) there were always two groupsrun in Zagreb due to unsurprisingly higher levels of demand for places there. In each of the other

venues, there was just one group.During the original CDP, the following workshops were delivered:

Stage Volume of Workshops Locations and DatesFoundation Stage(Activity 3.1d)

Six two-day workshops(12 days of delivery).

Zagreb 13-14 Feb 2012Osijek 16-17 Feb 2012Varadin 20 -21 Feb 2012Rijeka 22-23 Feb 2012Split 27-28 Feb 2012Zagreb 1-2 Mar 2012

Consolidation Stage(Activity 3.1c) 18 one-day workshops (equal to 6three-day programmes).

Rijeka 4, 18, Jun & 2 Jul 2012Varadin 5, 19, Jun & 3 Jul 2012


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Zagreb 6, 20 Jun & 4 Jul 2012Split 18 Sept, 2 & 16 Oct 2012Zagreb 20 Sept, 4 & 18 Oct 2012Osijek 21 Sept, 5 & 19 Oct 2012

Growth Stage(Activity 3.1c)

18 one-day workshops (equal to 6three-day programmes).

Zagreb 7, 21 Nov & 5 Dec 2012Varadin 8, 22 Nov &6 Dec 2012Osijek 9, 23 Nov & 7 Dec 2012Rijeka 13, 27 Nov & 11 Dec 2012Split 14, 28 Nov & 12 Dec 2012Zagreb 16, 30 Nov & 14 Dec 2012

48 days of workshops were therefore delivered during the original CDP.

Due to continued on-going requests for repeat workshops, it was decided that a new series ofworkshops would be delivered between February and June 2013. These would be a combination of:

new Foundation Stage workshops (with a slightly altered format due to the Project Teamnow being able to draw upon our greater experience of cluster development in Croatia butremaining to be delivered over two days);

two-day combined Consolidation/Growth Stage workshops which sought to choose themost essential topics within the respective original Consolidation and Growth Stageprogrammes.

The decision to create two-day Consolidation/Growth Stage workshops was necessitated by theresource constraints facing the Project.

The new workshops were delivered according to the following schedule:

Stage Volume of Workshops Locations and DatesNew FoundationStage(Activity 3.1c)

3 two-day workshops(6 days delivery)

Zagreb 5-6 Feb 2013Split 18-19 Mar 2013Zagreb 21-22 Mar 2013

CombinedConsolidation/ GrowthStage(Activity 3.1c)

5 two-day workshops(10 days delivery)

Zagreb 13-14 Feb 2013

Split 25-26 Mar 2013Zagreb 28-29 Mar 2013Osijek 3-4 Jun 2013Zagreb 6-7 Jun 2013

A total of 16 days were delivered in the new workshop formats in three locations. A total of 64days of CDP workshops were therefore delivered over the course of the Project.

In terms of recruitment of participants, this was achieved through three main mechanisms: The Project database of cluster stakeholders; Assistance from local business support organisations;

Publicity on the Project website (www.razvoj-klatera.hr ) with an ability to register there forspecific workshops.
http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/


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3. Participation on the Cluster Development Programme3.1 Introduction

This section of the report considers participation on several levels. Firstly, the report will considerthe overall number of participants at each stage of the CDP and secondly, the breakdown ofparticipants at each stage by target group and by gender.

3.2 Foundation StageAs mentioned above, the original Foundation Stage of the CDP was delivered in February to March2012 and there were six workshops. The workshops were facilitated by Mr Eugene OCurry andMrs Andrea Vugrinovi with supporting inputs from Mr Barry Condron, Project Team Leader and

Toby Philpott, Key Expert 3.

The participant breakdown by workshop was as follows:

Venue Dates Location Number of participants

Zagreb 13th and 14thFebruary 2012

Hotel Aristos 17

Osijek 16th and 17thFebruary 2012

Hotel Osijek 15

Varadin 20th and 21stFebruary 2012

VaradinCounty HGK

32

Rijeka 22nd and 23rdFebruary 2012

RDA Porind.o.o.

12

Split 27th and 28thFebruary 2012

MicrosoftInnovationCentre,University ofSplit

11

Zagreb 1st and 2ndMarch 2012 Hotel Aristos 17

TOTAL 104

The most notable statistic from the above was that the Project had overwhelming demand forplaces in Varadin with 32 participants. This was somewhat challenging for the facilitators tohandle. Unfortunately, it initially proved challenging getting satisfactory levels of participation inSplit and Rijeka and this proved to be a continuing theme for the delivery of the remainder of theoriginal CDP. Nonetheless, the Foundation Stage achieved an average participation rate of 17.3 perworkshop and so exceeded the target of 15 per workshop and significantly exceeded the requiredtarget for Activity 3.1d of 75 participants.


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Category Number

Private sector consultants and advisors 11 (11%)

Regional development agency staff, business

support organisation staff and local

government administation staff.

41 (39%)

Cluster managers, members and companies 48 (46%)

University and R & D Institution staff 4 (4%)

Just under half of participants came from clusters, either as managers, members, or as interestedparties in cluster development. The participants were therefore evenly divided between the publicand private sectors if the number of private sector consultants and advisers is added to the clusterrelated participants.

The most cause for concern was the low level of participation from the University sector. This isespecially true given that invitations were extended widely to this sector and one of theworkshops was actually held on a University Campus (Split).

In terms of gender participation, 49 women and 55 men participated in the workshopsrepresenting approximately a 47:53 split in percentage terms.

3.3 Consolidation Stage

As mentioned above in Section 2.4, the Consolidation Stage of the Cluster DevelopmentProgramme was delivered in two phases. This was in part due to the logistical challenges ofdelivering workshops and maintaining sufficiently high levels of participation during the summermonths. Therefore, to avoid problems, it was decided by the Project Team to deliver threeprogrammes in Rijeka, Varadin and Zagreb as Phase 1 before the summer break. In the autumn it

was decided by the Project Team to deliver workshops in Split, Zagreb and Osijek.The programme of three workshops were delivered every two weeks.

In Phase 1 the participation at the Strategic Planning and Innovation workshops was as follows:


Rijeka 4th June 2012 Hotel Aristos 12

Varadin 5th June 2012 Hotel Turist 9

Zagreb 6th June 2012 Hotel Aristos 21

TOTAL 42


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As can be seen, levels of participation varied between locations and the overall level ofparticipation was 42 which was slightly below target.

The participation levels in Rijeka and Varadin were less than the Project Team anticipated andefforts are in hand at the time of writing to boost the attendance figures in these locations.

In terms of the 42 participants these have been broken down further into four categories as in thetable below:

Category NumberPrivate sector consultants and advisors 6 (14%)

Regional development agency staff, businesssupport organisation staff and localgovernment administation staff.

9 (22%)



Total 42 (100%)

Nearly two thirds of participants came from clusters, either as managers, members, or as interestedparties in cluster development. If the private sector consultants and advisors are added to thistotal then three quarters of participants came from the private sector.

In terms of gender participation, 19 women and 23 men participated in the workshopsrepresenting approximately a 45:55 split in percentage terms. The participation rate of women inthe Cluster Development Programme thus remains high.

The primary trainers/facilitators were Eugene O'Curry and Barry Condron, the Project TeamLeader with support from Toby Philpott, the Business Process/Development Key Expert.

In the case of the second Work Organisation and Project Management workshops, the details ofthe events and the numbers of participants are set out in the table below.


Rijeka 18th June 2012 Hotel Aristos 15

Varadin 19th June 2012 Hotel Turist 14

Zagreb 20th June 2012 Hotel Aristos 14

TOTAL 43

As can be seen, levels of participation varied between locations and the overall level of participation was 43, which was slightly below target. The relatively low attendance in Zagreb ascompared to previous workshops may have been due to proximity to a public holiday.


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The participation levels in Rijeka and Varadin have improved since the Strategic Planning andInnovation Workshops. It appears that extra efforts to recruit and follow-up with potentialparticipants paid off.

In terms of the 43 participants it was possible to break these down further into four categories asin the table below:



support organisation staff and localgovernment administation staff.

11 (26%)



Total 43 (100%)

Once again, as during the Strategic Planning and Innovation workshops, nearly two thirds ofparticipants came from clusters, either as managers, members, or as interested parties in clusterdevelopment. If the private sector consultants and advisors are added to this total then 70% of

participants came from the private sector. There was a slight improvement in terms ofUniversity/R & D institutional participation.

In terms of gender participation, 23 women and 20 men participated in the workshopsrepresenting approximately a 53:47 split in percentage terms. The participation rate of women inthe Cluster Development Programme thus remains high and for this week, exceeded that of men.

The primary trainers/facilitators were Stephen O'Mullane and Nenad Buljan with support fromToby Philpott, the Business Process/Development Key Expert.

The final workshop in Phase 1 was the Marketing and Branding workshop. The following tablelists the number of participants by location:


Rijeka 2nd July 2012 Hotel Bonavia 18

Varadin 3rd July 2012 Hotel Turist 16

Zagreb 4th July 2012 Hotel Aristos 17

TOTAL 51

As can be seen, levels of participation varied between locations and the overall level ofparticipation was 51 which was above target. The overall target rate of participation for Phase 1(135 people = 45x3) was achieved and slightly exceeded over the three weeks with 137.


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In terms of the 51 participants we have been able to break these down further into four categoriesas in the table below:



13 (26%)


University and R & D Institution staff 4 (7%)Total 51

Unlike previous workshops, there was a higher representation of University and R&D institutionstaff which was encouraging. During these workshops, the private sector representation continuedto be high and two-thirds of participants came from the private sector.

In terms of gender participation rates, 24 women and 27 men participated in the Marketing andBranding for Clusters workshops. This represents a 47:53 split in percentage terms. Theparticipation rate of women in the Cluster Development Programme has continued to remain highthroughout the Consolidation Stage so far.

The primary trainers/facilitators were Barry Condron, Team Leader and Toby Philpott, theBusiness Process/Development Key Expert. For the workshops in Varadin and Zagreb thetrainers/facilitators were joined by guest speaker, Mrs Khrystyna Kravchyk from Cluster WEST,Nantes, France. Mrs Kravchyk is responsible for the marketing and development of ClusterWESTs activities in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States (Former Soviet Union).She presented Cluster WESTs marketing and branding activities and discussed with participantsvarious aspects of cluster management.

Phase 2 was delivered between September and October 2012 and once again, workshops weredelivered at two-weekly intervals.

The Phase 2 Strategic Planning and Innovation workshops were held in Split, Zagreb and Osijek.Participants were recruited using both the projects database of clus ter related- contacts andthrough assistance by Regional Development Agencies and the appropriate County branches ofHGK to whom the Project is grateful for their assistance.

Participants were also recruited through publicity on the project website ( www.razvoj-klatera.hr ) and were able to use the website to register for individual workshops. The project Terms ofReference required that each workshop should, on average train at least 15 people so the minimumtarget was to have at least 45 participants (3 x 15) attend. It was intended to keep the maximumlevel of participation to manageable levels and so the aim was to have no more than 25 participantsat each workshop.

The details of the events and the numbers of participants are set out in the table below.
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Split 18th September2012

MicrosoftInnovationCentre

16 (30%)

Zagreb 20th September2012

Hotel Aristos 18 (35%)

Osijek 21st September2012

HotelWaldinger

18 (35%)

TOTAL 52

As can be seen, levels of participation were broadly consistent between locations and the overalllevel of participation was 52, which was well above the target of 45.




support organisation staff and localgovernment administation staff.

22 (42%)



Financial Sector (banks, etc.) 1 (2%)

Total 52 (100%)

Just under half of participants came from clusters, either as managers, members, or as interestedparties in cluster development. If the private sector consultants and advisors are added to thistotal then just over half of participants came from the private sector (approximately 54%).

Attendance from the University and R & D institutions continued to be low and efforts to improveparticipation in the workshops were continued.

In terms of gender participation, 29 women and 23 men participated in the workshopsrepresenting approximately a 56:44 split in percentage terms. The participation rate of women inthe Cluster Development Programme thus remained high.

The primary trainers/facilitators were Eugene O'Curry, Senior Training Expert and Toby Philpott,the Business Process/Development Key Expert.


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For the Phase 2 Work Organisation and Project Management workshops the details of the eventsand the numbers of participants are set out in the table below.


Split 2nd October 2012 MicrosoftInnovationCentre

14

Zagreb 4th October 2012 Hotel Aristos 22

Osijek 5th October 2012 HotelWaldinger

15

TOTAL 51

Attendance continued to remain high and exceeded the target attendance of 45. However, therewas still a need to be vigilant in Split to maintain numbers and efforts continue there to raiseparticipation at the final workshop scheduled for the 16th October 2012 on Marketing andBranding for Clusters.

In terms of the 51 participants it has been possible to break these down further into four categoriesas in the table below:



21 (41%)



Financial Organisations (Banks, etc.) 1 (2%)

Total 51

Once again, as during the Strategic Planning and Innovation workshops during this second Phase, just under half of participants came from clusters, either as managers, members, or as interestedparties in cluster development. If the private sector consultants and advisors and financial sectorare added to this total then around half of participants came from the private sector.

There was a slight improvement in terms of University/R & D institutional participation.

In terms of gender participation, 24 women and 27 men participated in the workshopsrepresenting approximately a 47:53 split in percentage terms. The participation rate of women inthe Cluster Development Programme thus remains more or less the same as that for men.

The primary trainers/facilitators were Stephen O'Mullane and Nenad Buljan with support fromToby Philpott, the Business Process/Development Key Expert. Unfortunately Mr Buljan was not


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available for the workshop in Osijek due to other Project commitments. He was therefore replacedby Toby Philpott as the facilitator alongside Mr O'Mullane.

For the Phase 2 Marketing and Branding workshops the details of the events and the numbers ofparticipants are set out in the table below.


Split 16th October2012

MicrosoftInnovationCentre,University ofSplit

10

Zagreb 18th October2012

Hotel Aristos 11

Osijek 19th October2012

HotelWaldinger

19

TOTAL 40

As can be seen, levels of participation varied between locations and the overall level ofparticipation was 40 which was unfortunately below target. However, the overall target rate ofparticipation (135 people = 45x3) has been exceeded over the three weeks with 143 participants

overall.


Category NumberRegional development agency staff, businesssupport organisation staff and localgovernment administration staff.

15 (38%)



Financial Services 1 (2%)Total 40 (100%)

During Phase 2 of the Consolidation Stage of the CDP there has been a larger representation ofRDA and other business support organisations (e.g. HGK, etc.). However, the level of privatesector participation remains strong and remains in the majority. We continue to look to engage theUniversity sector in the workshops (which has remained lower than we would have liked despiteeven holding one of the workshops on one of the campuses of the University of Split and in closeproximity in Osijek to the University of Osijek. We will continue to work to engage the Universitysector in our workshops to help bolster the triple helix in Croatian clusters.


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In terms of gender participation rates, 19 women and 21 men participated in the Marketing andBranding for Clusters workshops. This represents a 48:52 split in percentage terms. Theparticipation rate of women in the Cluster Development Programme has continued to remain highthroughout the Consolidation Stage and has been broadly similar to that of men.The trainer/facilitator for these workshops was Toby Philpott, the Business Process/DevelopmentKey Expert.

3.4 Growth Stage

As mentioned above, the Growth stage workshops were delivered between November-December2012. The Growth Stage workshops were as follows:

1. Putting in the Foundations for Growth;2. Developing the Potential for Growth; and3. Change Management and Growth Projects.

The Putting in Foundations for Growth workshops were held in Osijek, Rijeka, Split, Varadinand Zagreb (two groups). Two groups were run in Zagreb since experience from the previous CDPstages had shown that one group would be oversubscribed.

Particip ants were recruited using both the projects database of cluster related contacts (whichincluded previous CDP workshop participants) and through assistance by Regional DevelopmentAgencies and the appropriate County branches of HGK. The Project is grateful to the respective

RDAs and HGK for their continued assistance in recruiting participants.Participants were also recruited through publicity on the project website (www.razvoj-klastera.hr)and were able to use the website to register for individual workshops. The project Terms ofReference again required that each workshop should, on average train at least 15 people so ourminimum target was to have at least 90 participants (6 x 15) attend the workshops. It wasintended to keep the maximum level of participation to manageable levels and so we aimed to haveno more than 25 participants at each workshop.

The details of the events and the numbers of participants for the Putting in the Foundations forGrowth workshops are set out in the table below:


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Zagreb 7th November2012

Hotel Aristos 11

Vara din 8th November2012

Hotel Turist 15

Osijek 9th November2012

HotelWaldinger

17

Rijeka 13th November2012

City Hall,Rijeka

7

Split 14th November2012

Hotel Park,Split

12


Hotel Aristos 20

TOTAL 82

As can be seen, levels of participation varied between locations and the overall level ofparticipation was 82 which was unfortunately below target. The most disappointing levels ofparticipation were in Rijeka and also, to a lesser extent, in Split.

In terms of the 82 participants it has been possible to break these down further into fourcategories as in the table below:

Category NumberRegional development agency staff, businesssupport organisation staff (HGK, HOK, etc.)and local government administration staff.

24 (29%)



Private sector consultants 4 (5%)

Financial Services 1 (1%)Total 82 (100%)

The level of participation from the cluster community and private sector has continued to remainconsiderable. During these workshops close to two thirds of participants were either clustermanagers, cluster members or private sector companies and consultants leading the developmentof cluster organisations. There has been a modest increase in the participation from the Universityand R & D community at these workshops and it is hoped that this will be sustained.

In terms of gender participation rates, 40 women and 42 men participated in the workshops. Thisrepresents a 49:51 split in percentage terms. The participation rate of women in the Cluster

Development Programme has continued to remain high throughout the various stages of the CDPand has been broadly similar to that of men.


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The trainer/facilitator for these workshops was Toby Philpott, the Business Process/DevelopmentKey Expert.

The second workshops in the Growth Phase, the Developing the Potential for Growthworkshops were also held in Osijek, Rijeka, Split, Varadin and Zagreb (two gro ups).

Participants were recruited using both the projects database of cluster related contacts (whichincluded previous CDP workshop participants) and through assistance by Regional DevelopmentAgencies and the appropriate County branches of HGK. We are grateful to the respective RDAsand HGK for their continued assistance in recruiting participants.

Participants were also recruited through publicity on the Project website (www.razvoj-klastera.hr ) and were, as before, able to use the website to register for individual workshops. Again, the Projectaimed for 90 participants (6 x 15) to attend the workshops and to aim to have no more than 25participants at each workshop.

The details of the events and the numbers of participants are set out in the table below:


Zagreb 21st November2012

Hotel Aristos 15

Vara din 22nd November2012

Hotel Turist 9

Osijek 23rd November2012

HotelWaldinger

16

Rijeka 27th November2012

HotelBonavia,Rijeka

16

Split 28th November2012

MicrosoftInnovationCentre, Split

13


Hotel Aristos 15

TOTAL 84

As can be seen, levels of participation varied between locations and the overall level ofparticipation was 84 which was unfortunately once again below target. The most disappointinglevels of participation were in Varadin, although this may be explained by a clash with a nationalconference on clusters organised by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Crafts.

In terms of the 84 participants it was possible to break them down further into four categories asin the table below:


22 (26%)
http://c/Users/Toby%20Philpott/Desktop/www.razvoj-klastera.hrhttp://c/Users/Toby%20Philpott/Desktop/www.razvoj-klastera.hrhttp://c/Users/Toby%20Philpott/Desktop/www.razvoj-klastera.hrhttp://c/Users/Toby%20Philpott/Desktop/www.razvoj-klastera.hr


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Centre, Split

Zagreb 14th December2012

Hotel Aristos 14

TOTAL 82

As can be seen, levels of participation varied between locations and the overall level ofparticipation was 82 which was unfortunately below target.



19 (23%)



Private sector consultants 5 (6%)Financial Services 1 (1%)Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Crafts 1 (1%)

Total 82 (100%)

The level of participation from the cluster community and private sector has continued to remainconsiderable at 70%. There has also been a significant increase in the participation from theUniversity and R & D community at these workshops.

In terms of gender participation rates, 39 women and 43 men participated in the workshops. Thisrepresents a 48:52 split in percentage terms. The participation rate of women in the ClusterDevelopment Programme has continued to remain high throughout the various stages of the CDPand has been broadly similar to that of men.

The main trainer/facilitator for these workshops was Toby Philpott, the BusinessProcess/Development Key Expert and for the first three workshops he was joined by Mrs KrystynaKravchyk from Cluster WEST, Nantes, France who spoke about her cluster and the change andgrowth projects they have undertaken. Mr Philpott delivered the final three workshops alone onthe 11th-14th December 2012 as it was unfortunately not possible to find a cluster manager fromthe EU who was available for those dates. The Project Team is grateful to Cluster WEST formaking Mrs Kravchyk available to co-facilitate the workshops with Mr Philpott.

3.5 New Foundation Stage and Combined Consolidation/GrowthWorkshops (Feb-Jun 2013)

Due to the on-going demand for places on the CDP, the Project Team decided to run a set of newworkshops. However, due to resource constraints, and to maximise the benefits to participants, a


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slightly revised two- day New Foundation Stage Workshop and a two-day jointConsolidation/Growth Workshop were developed. The content of the new Foundation StageWorkshop drew upon the Project Teams experience of cluster development acquired in Croatia.In the case of the joint Consolidation/Growth programme, the programme was developed to selectthe key points out of each of the respective workshops that had been delivered on theConsolidation and Growth Stages of the CDP.

Participants were recruited using the projects database of cluster related contacts (whichincluded previous CDP workshop participants and potential participants).

Participants were also recruited through publicity on the project website (www.razvoj-klastera.hr)and were able to use the website to register for individual workshops. The project Terms ofReference required that each workshop should, on average train at least 15 people so our minimumtarget was to have at least 60 participants (4 x 15) attend the workshops. The details of the eventsand the numbers of participants are set out in the table below.

Venue Dates and Type ofWorkshop

Location Number of participants

Zagreb 5t February 2013New Foundation

Hotel Aristos 32

Zagreb 6t February 2013New Foundation

Hotel Aristos 29

Zagreb 12t February 2013CombinedConsolidation/Growth

Hotel Aristos 17

Zagreb 13th February 2013CombinedConsolidation/Growth

Hotel Aristos 19

TOTAL 97

The number of participants was very encouraging and demonstrated the continued demand forfurther participation in workshops. In terms of the 97 participants we have been able to breakthese down further into four categories as in the table below:


34 (35%)



Private sector consultants 3 (3%)Other EU Project 1 (1%)Total 97 (100%)

The most encouraging aspect of the workshops was the increased participation by the Universityand R & D institutional sector. This has been challenging previously. Once again, the private


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sector has dominated the workshops with just under half of participants attending from theprivate sector.

The workshops also saw a significant increase in the level of women participating. There were 63women and 34 men participating, representing a 65:35 split in percentage terms. Women cameclose to outnumbering men at these workshops by 2 to 1.

A further round of new Foundation Stage workshops were held on the 18th and 19th March 2013at the Hotel Park in Split and on the 21st and 22nd March 2013 at the Hotel Aristos in Zagreb. TheConsolidation/Growth Stage workshops were held on the 25th and 26th March 201 in Split and onthe 28th and 29th March 2013 in Zagreb at the same respective venues.

Participants were recruited in Split with the kind assistance of RERASD (the organisationresponsible for the development of the County of Split-Dalmatia), and in Zagreb from the Projectdatabase. Participants were also recruited through publicity on the project website ( www.razvoj-klatera.hr ) and were able to use the website to register. The Project Terms of Reference requiredthat each workshop should train at least 15 people on average. The numbers of participants eachday of the Foundation and Consolidation/Growth workshops are set out in various tables below.The training rooms were all of the highest suitability for participatory workshops. Simultaneoustranslation was also provided and was of the highest standard, contributing significantly to theeffectiveness of the workshop.

Participation Numbers at New Foundation Stage Works hops March 2013


Split 18th March 2013 Hotel Park 28


Zagreb 21st March 2013 Hotel Aristos 11

Zagreb 22nd March 2013 Hotel Aristos 11

TOTAL 78

The level of participation in Split was exceptional and exceeded the minimum target of 15 each dayby a considerable margin of 13. For the entire week, the participation rate was 18 above theminimum requirement.

A further categorisation of the participants at the March 2013 NewFoundation Stage workshopscan be found below:

Category Number


Regional development agency staff, businesssupport organisation staff and local 19 (24%)
http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/


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Total 78 (100%)

We can see from the table above that nearly two-thirds of participants came from clusters and theprivate sector with a further 6% coming from private sector consultancies taking the private sectorparticipation rate above 70%. In terms of gender participation rates, it is interesting to note thatwhereas there has typically been a broadly equal participation rate amongst men and women on

the CDP, during this week women participants outnumbered men by 2 to 1. The participation ratiowas 67:33 in favour of women on the Foundation Stage workshops, again representing a majorincrease in female participation.

For the March 2013 combined Consolidation/Growth Stage workshops the daily participation rateis set out in the table below:

Consolidation/Growth Stage Workshops




Zagreb 28th March 2013 Hotel Aristos 16

Zagreb 29th March 2013 Hotel Aristos 13

TOTAL 73

Once again, despite the Consolidation/Growth Stage workshops being held close to Easter, theaverage participation rates remained above the minimum requirement of 15 per day. Again, theparticipation in Split was high and in Zagreb, even on Good Friday, the participation rate was onlyslightly below the required average. The minimum required participation rate was exceeded by 13for the entire week.

A further categorisation of the participants at the March 2013 Consolidation/Growth Stageworkshops can be found below:


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Category Number




15 (21%)



TOTAL 73 (100%)

During this week of workshops, over three-quarters of the participants attending came from theprivate sector, with a significant fall off in representation from the University/ResearchInstitutions and a slight reduction in participation from the business support community. Thiswould suggest that interest in clustering amongst private sector actors in Croatia is starting tostrengthen.

In terms of gender participation, the percentage split between female (46) and male (27)participants was 63:37 which was a slight improvement regarding the participation of men in theseworkshops.

Further workshops were held on the 3rd and 4th June 2013 at the Hotel Waldinger in Osijek andon the 6th and 7th June 2013 at the Hotel Esplanade in Zagreb.

Participants were recruited in Osijek with the kind assistance of the RDA, and in Zagreb from theProject database. Participants were also recruited through publicity on the project website(www.razvoj-klatera.hr) and were able to use the website to register. The Project Terms ofReference required that each workshop should train at least 15 people on average. The numbers ofparticipants each day of the workshops are set out in various tables below. The training roomswere all of the highest suitability for participatory workshops. Simultaneous translation was alsoprovided and was of the highest standard, contributing significantly to the effectiveness of theworkshop.
http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/http://www.razvoj-klatera.hr/


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Participation Numbers at June 2013 Consolidation/Growth Stage Workshops

Dates Number of participants

3 r June 2013 6

4 th June 2013 6

6 t June 2013 207 t June 2013 20

TOTAL 52

The level of participant in Zagreb was reasonably high at 20 (although there were a considerablenumber of participants who registered and then did not subsequently attend) each day.Unfortunately, in Osijek this was not the case and participation was a disappointingly low 6 eachday. It appears that our workshop clashed with other workshops held in Osijek that day and it ispossible that some of our would be participants may have decided to attend the other workshopsinstead. The overall participation rate for the entire week therefore averaged 13 per day and wastherefore slightly down on the desired average of 15.

A further categorisation of the participants at the workshops can be found below:

Category Number





16 (31%)



TOTAL 52 (100%)

We can see from the table above that nearly 60% of participants came from clusters and theprivate sector with a further 4% coming from private sector consultancies taking the private sector

participation rate close to two-thirds. Private sector participation has therefore continued toremain strong in the workshops.


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In terms of gender participation rates, it is interesting to note that female participation rates havebeen slightly higher than those of men on the CDP. During this week, the participation ratio was52:48 male to female. Although not as high a number as during the workshops in March 2013, thelevel of participation by women still remained relatively high during the week.

3.6 Conclusions

The Cluster Development Programme has been reasonably successful in attracting participation

from a range of sectors. It has been very successful in attracting private sector participation, whichis relatively unusual for EU projects. Throughout the CDP the level of private sector participationhas tended to be at least half or even as high as three quarters of participants at workshops.

Furthermore, with the notable exception of the the Growth Stage workshops, the CDP has beensuccessful in achieving participation targets (see the table below). The slight deficit inparticipation on the Growth Stage workshops has been more than compensated by increasednumbers on the Original Foundation Stage, Original Consolidation Stage and the NewFoundation and comb ined Consolidation/Growth workshops.

Activity Target Achieved VariationDays Number of

ParticipantsDays Number of

ParticipantsDays Number of

Participants

3.1b AwarenessSeminars

10 350 10 512 0 +162

3.1c CDPConsolidation Stage

18 270 18 279 0 +9

3.1c CDP GrowthStage

18 270 18 248 0 -22

3.1c CDP NewFoundation Stage

8 120 6 139 -2* +19

3.1c CDP CombinedConsolidation/Growth

8 120 10 161 +2* +41

3.1c Cluster Clinics 14 105 15 68 +1 -37

3.1d CDP FoundationStage (Original)

10 75 12 104 +2 +29

TOTAL 86 1310 89 1520 +3 +201

Source: Support to Cluster Development Relaunch Project Final Report

In total there were over 931 participants of the Cluster Development Programme of which themajority were from the private sector. 474 were women and 457 were men representing a 51:49percentage split. The Project has therefore been very successful in engaging women with the


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Project. Whether this reflects a greater willingness on the part of women to learn or due to otherfactors is difficult to verify.

However, what it does demonstrate is that there is a strong desire for knowledge and ideas for howclusters can be developed in Croatia. There is also a demonstrated willingness on the part ofcluster stakeholders as a whole to engage actively with the process, and a desire on their part tosee the Government of Croatia (particularly the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Crafts) to playan enabling role to support the process of consolidation and development of world leading clusters.

4. Participant Evaluations

4.1 Introduction

To ensure that the workshops were being delivered to a high standard and meeting therequirements of participants each workshop had a feedback sheet to enable them to provide theirviews to the Project Team.

The feedback form asked participants to score:

The level of the course (5 too advanced, 3 the right level, 1 too basic); The length of the course (5 too long, 3 about right, 1 too short); The quality of the hand-out materials (5 excellent, 3 average, 1 poor); The usefulness of the course in their work (5 very useful, 3 useful, 1 no use at all); Would you recommend the course to someone in a similar role to yourself? (Yes/No). The effectiveness of the facilitators (5 excellent, 3 average, 1 poor);

Qualitative questions were also asked around the following topics:

Which topic/s did you find of most interest? Which topic/s (if any) would you like to see deleted? Any other comments or suggestions for improvement of the programme? Do you have any recommendations for how the climate for cluster development could be

improved in Croatia?

The remainder of the section of the report reviews the feedback received from participants at thedifferent workshops.

4.2 Foundation Stage

The table below summarises the average quantitative scores for each of the individual workshops.The numbers in brackets below the score is the standard deviation of responses. Unfortunately notall participants completed the questionnaires despite being given a copy. The response rate was81.6% of all participants.


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Analysis of Completed Feedback QuestionnairesZagreb 1

(n=16)

Osijek

(n=13)

Varadin

(n=22)

Rijeka

(n=11)

Split

(n=9)

Zagreb

2

(n=13)

Total

(n=84)

Level of Course 3.8(0.9)

3.9(0.47)

4.0(0.37)

4.0(0)

4.2(0.63)

4.1(0.47)

3.96(0.57)

Length of Course 3.1(0.75)

3.2(0.42)

3.2(0.49)

3.0(0)

3.3(0.47)

3.3(0.46)

3.18(0.52)

Quality of Handouts 4.3(1.21)

4.4(0.74)

4.3(0.7)

4.6(0.64)

4.8(0.42)

4.7(0.47)

4.47(0.8)

Usefulness of Course in Work 3.7(1.04)

3.8(0.66)

3.8(0.9)

4.3(0.75)

4.2(0.79)

4.1(0.62)

3.96(0.85)

Effectiveness of Eugene OCurry 4.9(0.33)

4.8(0.42)

4.8(0.42)

4.9(0.29)

4.9(0.31)

4.8(0.36)

4.83(0.37)

Effectiveness of Andrea

Vugrinovi

4.2(1.07)

4.6(0.49)

4.7(1.04)

4.6(0.48)

4.8(0.43)

4.9(0.28)

4.63(0.82)

The participants appear overall to believe the Foundation Stage to have been slightly advanced(although there may have been some upward bias due to participants not reading the questionproperly) with an overall score of 3.96. A standard deviation of 0.57 suggests a relatively low andstable spread of scores.

A score of 3.18 strongly suggests that two days was the optimal length of time to deliver theworkshop. A standard deviation of 0.52 again suggests a relatively stable spread of scores and aconsensus amongst participants on the length.

The high average score of 4.47 for the hand-outs shows that the materials were well appreciated byparticipants although there is some variation in responses suggested by the standard deviation of0.8.

The course will be useful and close to very useful in their work with an average score of close to 4.Again, the standard deviation of 0.8 is suggestive that there is some variation of opinion on theFoundation Stage but the overall picture is very positive.

Both main trainers also were very well received, scoring close to excellent scores on average.

The qualitative feedback was also very positive from participants regarding the interactive natureof the workshop. Several suggestions were also made on how to improve the climate for clusterdevelopment which included better financing and support from the Croatian Government andinformation on how to start a cluster.


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In conclusion, therefore, both the quantitative and qualitative feedback received has beenoverwhelmingly positive and the overwhelming majority of the participants would recommend theprogramme to others in a similar position. Participants enjoyed the highly interactive nature of theprogramme and appreciated the efforts made to make the course relevant for their needs.

4.3 Consolidation Stage

4.3.1 Phase 1 Strategic Planning and Innovation Workshops

The table below summarises the average quantitative scores for each of the individual StrategicPlanning and Innovation workshops. The numbers in brackets below the score is the standarddeviation of responses. Unfortunately, not all participants completed the questionnaires despitebeing given a copy. The response rate was 81.0% of all participants.

Analysis of Completed Feedback QuestionnairesRijeka

(n=12)

Vara din

(n=9)

Zagreb

(n=13)

Total

(n=34)

Level of Course 4.00

(0.58)

4.11

(0.31)

3.92

(0.62)

4.00

(0.54)Quality of Handouts 4.17

(0.80)4.89

(0.31)4.45

(0.66)4.47

(0.71)


4.56(0.50)

4.00(0.55)

4.15(0.65)

Effectiveness of Trainers/Facilitators 4.58(0.49)

5.00(0.00)

4.62(0.49)

4.71(0.46)

In terms of the level of the workshops, it would appear that the participants saw the programme asslightly advanced but there was a reasonable level of variation in the responses as evidenced by thestandard deviations in each location.

The quality of the hand-outs and materials (which were provided to each participant on a USBstick) were seen as being of a high standard with all averages being above 4, and in the case ofVaradin, close to the maximum possible score of 5. In terms of usefulness in their work, theaverage score for participants suggests that the workshops had content which was highly relevantto their work.

The trainers were also seen as highly effective with an overall average of close to 5 and in Varadinall participants rated them as excellent. In analysing all the scores given to the trainers at no pointdid they receive a score below 4 from any participant.

All participants who completed the evaluation form would recommend the workshop to others.


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The quality of the hand-outs and materials (which were provided to each participant on a USBstick) were seen as being of a high standard with all averages being above 4. In terms of usefulnessin their work, the average score for participants suggests that the workshops had content whichwas relevant to their work.

The trainers were also seen as effective with an overall average of around 4.

There were three participants who completed the evaluation form would not recommend theworkshop to others and this somewhat of concern as all three were at the same workshop inZagreb. Indeed, in Zagreb the standard deviation of responses was relatively high reflecting a widevariation in views on the level of the course, the usefulness of the course in work and theeffectiveness of the trainers.

In summary, the quantitative scores would suggest that the content of the workshops was relevant,well delivered and the materials were of high quality although this was not necessary seen as truefor all participants.

The topic that the majority of participants found the most interesting varied slightly from locationto location. In Rijeka they found the communication skills section the most interesting followedclosely by personal organisation. In Varadin it was personal orga nisation that participants foundthe most interesting followed by communication skills. In Zagreb, although both personalcommunication skills and personal organisation featured as the most interesting topic for aminority of participants, organisational structure and the management information system contentwas found valuable by a significant number.

In terms of topics which participants did not find interesting and useful, a small minority ofparticipants did not find the management information system content interesting and useful. Oneparticipant in Zagreb stated that they did not find the personal organisation material interesting.Lessons were learned by the presenters/facilitators and it is notable that adverse comments tendedto be linked to the quality of the projection equipment (which was slightly problematic inVaradin).

The majority of participants who expressed an opinion on how the workshops could be improvedsuggested that more examples of best practice and case studies linked to solving problems withinclusters could be used.

The comments on how the climate for cluster development in Croatia could be improved included

organising more training both for cluster managers and also for SME owner-managers who couldbe members of clusters. Further comments related to the perceived need to build networksbetween cluster managers and between clusters. Although beyond the scope of the Terms ofReference of the Project, it could be beneficial to develop a cluster manager's association withinCroatia which would facilitate experience exchange and sharing of knowledge and this suggestionfrom several participants will be raised with the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Crafts and theMinistry of Economy who may be able to provide assistance to such an association/organisation.

4.3.3 Phase 1 Marketing and Branding

The table below summarises the average quantitative scores for each of the individual workshops.The numbers in brackets below the score is the standard deviation of responses.


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The Project received feedback forms from all participants bar one who arrived late and felt unableand unwilling to complete the feedback form.

Analysis of Completed Feedback QuestionnairesRijeka(n=18)

Vara din (n=16)

Zagreb(n=16)

Total(n=50)


3.94(0.43)

4.13(0.48)

3.98(0.47)


4.67(0.47)

4.73(0.44)

4.74(0.44)


3.80(0.83)

4.40(0.71)

4.06(0.85)

Effectiveness of Trainers/Facilitators 4.67(0.47) 4.63(0.48) 4.81(0.53) 4.70(0.50)

In terms of the level of the workshops, it would appear that the participants saw the programme asslightly advanced in terms of level.

At this workshop, several printed hand-outs were provided to participants. They included aSWOT analysis of the organisations marketing, a marketing audit, a new product developmentaudit and a marketing action plan. A marketing plan of a company based in Croatia was alsoprovided. The presentations and several example promotional videos from EU-based clusters werealso given to participants to review at their leisure on a USB stick. The materials at theseworkshops were rated very highly by participants.

In terms of usefulness in their work, the average score for participants suggests that theworkshops had content which was particularly relevant to their work.

The trainers/facilitators were also seen as highly effective with an overall average of 4.7.

There was only one participant who completed the evaluation form who would not recommendthe workshop to others. This participant attended the workshop in Zagreb. This appears to becounterintuitive given that the Zagreb workshop achieved the highest scores in terms ofusefulness to work and effectiveness of the facilitators/trainers.

In summary, the quantitative scores would suggest that the content of the workshops was relevant,well delivered and the materials were of high quality.

The topic that the majority of participants found the most interesting varied slightly from locationto location and this, in part, reflected the fact that Mrs Kravchyk was not able to attend thetraining on the first day in Rijeka. In Rijeka, the e-marketing and social media content was wellreceived as was the content on branding. Subsequently it was the Cluster WEST presentation byMrs Kravchyk and to a lesser extent the e-marketing and social media topics that were bestreceived in both Varadin and Zagreb.

During the workshops, the trainers/facilitators used several videos and this was very well received.We will look to integrate more videos into the other two workshops.

In terms of the topics which participants did not find interesting and useful, a very small minoritydid not find the theoretical aspects of marketing useful (one participant) and the e-marketing and


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social media (one participant). In both cases this was because they had attended previous trainingprogrammes elsewhere on these topics.

Suggestions for improvement of the workshops centred on the application of material to theCroatian context and the desire for more examples such as Cluster WEST. It was also suggestedthat guest speakers from overseas clusters could be brought in to share their experience of using e -marketing and social media.

There were a number of comments on how the climate for cluster development in Croatia could beimproved. These comments focused on the need for further education and training for the variousstakeholders related to cluster development (cluster managers, SME owner-managers, governmentofficials at national and county level, etc.). Another key issue which was cited several times byparticipants was the need for support in gaining more members.

4.3.4 Phase 2 Strategic Planning and Innovation

The table below summarises the average quantitative scores for each of the individual workshops.Unfortunately, not all participants completed the questionnaires despite being given a copy. Theresponse rate was 84.6% of all participants.

Analysis of Completed Feedback QuestionnairesSplit

(n=12)

Zagreb

(n=17)

Osijek

(n=15)

Total

(n=44)


4.00(0.49)

3.87(0.50)

4.00(0.48)


4.67(0.47)

3.64(0.81)

4.38(0.80)


4.19(0.81)

3.73(0.77)

4.07(0.76)

Effectiveness of Trainers/ Facilitators 4.83(0.37)

4.76(0.42)

4.53(0.50)

4.70(0.46)

In terms of the level of the workshops, it would appear that the participants saw the programme asslightly advanced.

The quality of the hand-outs and materials (which were provided to each participant on a USBstick) were seen as being of a high standard with an overall average above 4, and in the case ofSplit, close to the maximum possible score of 5. In terms of usefulness in their work, the averagescore for participants suggests that the workshops had content which was highly relevant to theirwork although there was some variation in scores.


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The trainers were also seen as highly effective with an overall average of 4.7 with the highest scorefor effectiveness being in Split. In analysing all the scores given to the trainers at no point did theyreceive a score below 4 from any participant.

All participants who completed the evaluation form would recommend the workshop to others.

In summary, the quantitative scores would suggest that the content of the workshops was highlyrelevant, well delivered and the materials were of high quality.

The topic that the majority of participants found the most interesting was the participatoryexercise on business opportunity generation. The next most popular topics with participants werethe sessions on innovation and innovation gaps.

In terms of topics which participants did not find interesting there were no suggestions andparticipants appear to have found the workshop as a whole interesting and useful.

There was a small number of participants who expressed an opinion on how the workshops couldbe improved. They suggested that more examples of best practice and case studies could be used(specifically from Croatia).

The comments on how the climate for cluster development in Croatia could be improved includeda desire for better communication within the cluster community (including a stronger publicitycampaign from the beneficiary Ministries), and a greater desire for more training for clustermanagers. Unlike the previous phase of Consolidation Stage workshops, there were no comments

related to funding clusters.

4.3.5 Phase 2 Work Organisation and Project Management

The table below summarises the average quantitative scores for each of the individual workshops.The numbers in brackets below the score is the standard deviation of responses. Unfortunately,not all participants completed evaluation questionnaires and so, on this occasion, the response ratewas 86.3% of all participants.


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Analysis of Completed Feedback QuestionnairesSplit

(n=11)

Zagreb

(n=18)

Osijek

(n=15)

Total

(n=44)

Level of Course 3.73

(0.45)

3.83

(0.60)

3.93

(0.44)

3.84

(0.52)

Quality of Handouts 4.18

(0.83)

4.50

(0.60)

4.47

(0.72)

4.41

(0.72)

Usefulness of Course in Work 3.73

(0.86)

3.72

(0.80)

4.07

(0.77)

3.84

(0.82)

Effectiveness of Trainers/Facilitators 4.36

(0.98)

4.39

(0.59)

4.67

(0.47)

4.48

(0.69)

In terms of the level of the workshops, it would appear that the participants saw the programme asslightly advanced in terms of level.

The quality of the hand-outs and materials (which were provided to each participant on a USBstick) were seen as being of a high standard with all averages being above 4. In terms of usefulnessin their work, the average score for participants suggests that the workshops had content whichwas relevant to their work.

The trainers were also seen as very effective with an overall average of just under 4.5.

There were two participants who completed the evaluation form who would not recommend theworkshop to others, one in Split and the other in Zagreb. Indeed, in Split the standard deviation ofresponses was relatively high reflecting a wide variation in views on the level of the course, theusefulness of the course in work and the effectiveness of the trainers.

In summary, the quantitative scores would suggest that the content of the workshops was relevant,well delivered and the materials were of high quality although this was not necessary seen as trueby all participants.

There was a wide variation in the views of the participants on which topics they found interestingwith communication skills, personal organisation and project management all featuringprominently in participants responses.

Organisational structure was found to not be of interest by just two participants: one in Split andone in Zagreb. The Split participant also did not find the content on the management role of thecluster manager of interest. This was due to their having received a considerable level of educationon this topic at University.


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The majority of participants who expressed an opinion on how the

16. Pregled Programa Razvoja Klastera-1

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