The Importance of Collaborative Advantage: Middle Managers’ Role in Building Innovation Support in Municipalities

This article explores the role of middle managers in building innovation support within a Swedish municipality, focusing on how collaborative advantage across departmental silos contribute to innovation outcomes. Drawing on a five-year insider action research project, the study examines how middle managers created and maintained an informal innovation space that enabled cross-boundary collaboration, trust-based leadership, and employee-driven innovation. While top management provided initial support, the long-term responsibility for maintaining innovation support rested with middle managers, who acted as both implementers and strategic leaders. Through narrative analysis of meeting observations and interviews, the study highlights how middle managers developed a shared identity rooted in collaboration, enabling them to navigate organizational tensions and promote new ways of working. The findings show that innovation support in fragmented public organizations depends not only on structural conditions but also on relational work, strategic communication, and the ability to foster collaborative advantage. The study contributes to public sector innovation literature by emphasizing the importance of middle managers’ internal collaboration and their role in shaping innovation beyond formal mandates. It also underscores the need for stronger alignment between middle and top management to ensure the long-term integration of innovation support into organizational routines.