Knowledge is defined one of the fundamental resources for development, competitiveness and power of firms, industrial clusters and regions. Their competitiveness and development have a strong relationship with their ability to create, absorb and utilize knowledge and to learn, i.e. their cognitive capabilities. This thesis is focused on clusters as cognitive and learning systems. Clusters are the agglomerations where collective learning may take place. New knowledge is created and shared within the clusters&#039 / knowledge networks. Knowledge networks and cognitive communities as a part of these networks are seen as the significant topics in the literature to explain both the cognitive processes in firms, in industrial clusters and between industrial clusters. The main aim of the thesis is to explore the creation, absorption and transfer of knowledge in networks and cognitive communities in industrial clusters based on different technologies. To achieve this aim two empirical studies on different clusters with different technologies have been elaborated. The first one is an ICT cluster in METUTech and the second one is agricultural tools and machinery cluster in Konya. The data for the analysis collected through two different types of questionnaire, firm questionnaire and employee questionnaire. The first questionnaire is realized with producer firms in those sectors. The second questionnaire is conducted with the engineers. The data acquired from the questionnaire were evaluated based on descriptive analysis, correlation and social network analysis. Results are used to evaluate and compare the knowledge structures and cognitive communities in those clusters.

L’évolution du secteur agricole a demandé l’adaptation des coopératives dans un contexte de mondialisation. L’émergence des groupes coopératifs formés par des sociétés à statut coopératif, en amont de la production, et des sociétés de droit privé, en aval des filières, provoquent une crise identitaire, résultat de la rupture du lien avec les adhérents. Cette thèse aborde le rôle du conseil agricole dans le renforcement du lien coopérative-adhérent pour résoudre la crise identitaire inhérente des groupes coopératifs agricoles. Une méthode qualitative basée sur la réalisation d’études de cas auprès de cinq groupes coopératifs agricoles français nous a permis d’étudier l’interaction de communautés de nature différente à travers un nouveau mode de gestion des connaissances caractérisé par l’interaction des groupes fonctionnels et de communautés de pratique: le Mode 3. Nous montrons que les conseillers agricoles sont au centre du dispositif de conseil et jouent le rôle de traducteurs entre les deux communautés cognitives. Nos résultats mettent en lumière quelques voies d’amélioration et des possibilités d’intervention de la profession, en répondant à la demande de Coop de France. Ces résultats peuvent être mobilisés de manière plus large dans le champ de l’Economie Sociale et Solidaire afin d’explorer les processus de gestion des connaissances de ce type particulier d’entreprises. / The evolution of the farming sector has required co-operatives to adapt to globalisation. The combination of the emergence of co-operative groups created by companies with a co-operative status, upstream production, and private companies, downstream, resulted in the rupture of their relationship with their members. This thesis addresses the role of the agricultural extension in strengthening the co-operatives/members’ relation in order to resolve the inherent identity crisis of such groups. A qualitative method based on the case study of five French groups allowed us to study the interactions between communities with different profiles through a new mode of knowledge management characterised by the interaction between functional groups and communities of practice: the Mode 3. We show that agricultural advisors are central to the extension system and act as translators between the two cognitive communities. Our results highlight some areas for improvement and potential measures the agricultural extension could take, answering Coop de France’s request. These results can be broadly extrapolated to the field of Social and Solidarity Economy in order to explore the knowledge management in these specific companies’ type.