Shared Services: Government Shared Services Model for High Performance from Accenture

This first-of-its-kind study examines the state of shared services in government and documents leading practices from innovators in successful government shared services implementations.

To request a hard copy of this report on implementing a shared service model, please contact us.

The Accenture Public Service Value Model has helped determine and define what high performance looks like for governments: expanded and improved service at lower cost. As governments seek to provide greater public service value, the ability to focus more resources on delivering services to citizens and fewer on supporting administrative activities has become a hallmark of high-performance organizations. By combining major principles of high performance, including being citizen-focused and outcome-driven, shared services models can help speed the journey to improved public service value.

Driving High Performance in Government: Maximizing the Value of Public-Sector Shared Services reports the results of a survey of government executives in 13 countries. The report identifies trends around the awareness and adoption of shared services models in the public sector. Shared services—consolidating administrative and support functions into a single organizational entity—has received attention in both the public and private sectors for its ability to refocus organizations on their core capabilities with resulting benefits.

Accenture has been implementing shared services in the private sector, where it is a well-established concept, and exploring its emergence in government as well (please request our earlier study, Focus on Value: The Case for Shared Services in the Public Sector). With the new study, Accenture sought to identify the drivers, challenges, benefits and critical success factors for shared services initiatives in government. This study, managed by Accenture’s in-house research arm, Accenture Research, surveyed 143 senior executives at all levels of government in a selection of agencies across 13 countries.

The study revealed four main findings:

• Governments regard shared services as a vital tool for meeting their challenges. A surprising percentage of governments already have shared services on their agenda, and of those, a significant majority are reasonably mature. They cover a wide range of functional areas and processes—ranging from information technology, human resources and finance to property management and legal services—and are highly valued as a tool for addressing current business challenges.
  
  
• Most governments in-source their own shared services center, although many rely on outside expertise during planning. A number of reasons have made in-sourcing the method of choice for staffing government shared services. Yet for planning and implementation, most agencies—and all of the most innovative and successful ones—have worked with outside specialists.
  
  
• The unique nature of governments sets up some very specific challenges to shared services. Moving to shared services is challenging in any environment. However, public-sector implementations face a very specific set of hurdles, such as divided decision-making authority, underdeveloped management skills, and user expectations, both internal and external.
  
  
• Many governments have started to implement some components of a true shared services operating model, but few have implemented them all; thus, few governments have achieved the full potential of their shared services. While many government organizations have started the journey toward a true shared services model, most still have a ways to go. Beyond lower costs, the focus must be on improved service to "customers"—a focus that requires transformation in corporate culture, processes, policies, structure, personnel management and technology.

Inspiration from Innovators
The study also includes a more in-depth analysis of 11 of the most innovative shared services organizations in governments around the world. Their comments on planning, challenges, benchmarking, critical success factors and lessons learned provide insight into the shared services development and implementation process. And their ideas for the future are an exciting glimpse into what's to come for governments seeking high performance through shared services.

For public service executives looking to improve the results of their shared services initiatives, or for those considering getting started on the shared services journey, Driving High Performance in Government: Maximizing the Value of Public-Sector Shared Services offers a comprehensive overview of the existing shared services picture and of the leading edge of shared services innovation.