This article deploys the concept of "collaborative innovation" to discuss key stakeholders' and service users' experiences of innovative labor market inclusion services. We draw on work by Sørensen and Torfing (2011, 2016, 2017 to frame collaborative innovation as a distinctive approach to the coproduction of services that respond to user needs, and highlight the importance of governance and leadership practices that foster mutual learning and boundary spanning innovation. The article reports on 102 interviews with service users (in this case, unemployed lone parents) and 117 interviews with key stakeholders involved in local partnerships. We identify benefits from such collaborative approaches in terms of innovative service design and positive outcomes for service users. We conclude that policy makers should consider the potential added value of collaborative innovation in labor market inclusion.
Evidence for Practice• Collaborative innovation provides a useful framework for understanding public policy stakeholders' responses to wicked problems-in this case, the need for innovative labor market inclusion programs to respond to the needs of vulnerable unemployed jobseekers. • Collaborative governance and distributive leadership practices that empower local managers and employees may be important in laying the groundwork for multi-stakeholder collaboration and service innovation in labor market inclusion. • Boundary spanning managers and "keyworkers" can be important in building trust, joining-up services, and(crucially) empowering service users. • As policy makers seek innovative solutions to high unemployment in post-COVID-19 labor markets, there is value in considering the benefits of collaborative innovation as a route to more efficient and effective services.