Between dogma and doubt: A meta‐synthesis of innovation in the public sector

Public sector innovation is a management paradigm that introduces novel actions and artefacts in confronting societal challenges. However, the enabling or inhibiting role of innovation remains a conundrum that necessitates on‐going analysis and critique for advancing public management discourse and scholarship. The purpose of this article is to analyse the drivers and barriers to innovation in the public sector based on a meta‐synthesis of management literature. In‐depth analysis of 21 qualitative studies reporting on innovation in the public sector identifies five themes for drivers and barriers. Insights from the synthesis pose research challenges for public sector organisations to look beyond praxis to crisis, discover co‐creative radius, recognise ambiguous capacities, and attain integrative intelligence. Using insights from identified concepts and themes, the article develops a line of argument on the contextualisation of innovation for public management and sheds light on areas for future research on public sector innovation.