Abstract
The objective of this research was to identify the main challenges (drivers) that managers of primary care units face and whether the strategies defined to deal with such obstacles are innovation. For this process, the Neo-Schumpeterian model of innovation in public services was used as an analysis lens. Seven interviews were conducted with health unit managers in a municipality in western Minas Gerais. The results point out six challenges and some strategies used to deal with them. However, neither the response to the challenges nor any isolated individualized actions identified can be understood as innovation. The dynamics between the challenges and the weight of the political vector in the process are highlighted.