Proximity and centrality in inter-organisational collaborations for innovation. A study on an Aerospace cluster in Italy

Purpose – The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the different drivers of the establishment of innovation relationships in an aerospace cluster. In particular, the work investigates the impact of the various forms of proximity in the formation of inter-organisational collaborations for innovation. Design/methodology/approach – The analysis is based on primary data collected through interviews and questionnaires on innovation collaborations, administered to all the firms operating in the Aerospace cluster in Tuscany. The work applies social network analysis and Exponential Random Graph Models to analyse the forces that drive inter-organisational collaborations for innovation. Findings – Results confirm the importance of geographical proximity in the formation of ties in the cluster, but it is social proximity one of the main drivers for tie formation. Reciprocity shows that companies develop innovations in a reciprocal way and that most relationships are bidirectional. Triadic closure is also relevant, as the role played by trust and previous relationships is evident. Finally, hierarchy network processes are underlined, where the most central actors of the network are the most popular confirming a processes of preferential attachment. The central organizations gradually are more important, while the marginal ones are left in the periphery. Originality/value – The work presents some novelties. First, it measures the different impacts of the various forms of proximity together with more advanced measures of network analysis. It allows pointing out the relevance of a firm’s network position in clusters and the fact that clusters assume hierarchical structures similar to centre-periphery networks, where most relevant nodes are in the inner core and marginal organisations are relegated.