Video Case Study: Bioenersis
This video case study shows how the SME ‘Bioenersis’ (Aegean Centre for culture and education) was able to develop and apply technology founded in CADIC (Cross-Enterprise Assessment and Development of Intellectual Capital) employing a bottom –up approach to cluster development in the Greek island of Samos with SMEs involved in tourism and tourist services, particularly hotels, catering and entertainment businesses, and transportation. The case study shows how it was crucial to find an appropriate form of collaboration to trigger communication flows in order to create together new services and products.
The context was precarious: it did not foster collaboration. At first the SMEs could not see the benefit of clustering: they had a competitive attitude and generally acted alone. This fragmentation had led to lack of development of business activities in the region. The SMEs had reached the point where they needed to change and adapt or stay in trouble, given the recession.. According to there are two key elements here: to generate a climate of trust among the SMEs and to show practical results for clustering even if small.
The case study shows how Bioenersis succeeded in building a space where conditions of mutual trust were established. This involved meeting with very SME on its own and together in group meetings in order to create the right circumstances to foster cluster activities. Here, every entrepreneur expressed his ideas, triggering new notions and ideas on how the SMEs could find new ways to enrich their products and services and integrate them with those of other cluster SMEs. As a result of this process the SME started to open up and make steps to connect and communicate among themselves more than previously: disputes were reduced. Through the realisation of cluster projects the SMEs found mutual business benefits and gradually started establishing trust amongst themselves. The network of businesses and entrepreneurs achieved a common goal: not just the promotion of goods and services, but also the exchange of new ideas amongst themselves.
