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PERSPECTIVE

Modern Global Capability Centers as reinvention engines

10-MINUTE READ

May 28, 2024

In brief

  • Global Capability Centers are revolutionizing the way businesses operate, serving as pivotal engines of reinvention across industries.

  • Businesses that tap into a global talent pool and leverage the latest technologies can support and spearhead innovation and strategic growth.

  • Companies on a GCC journey that prioritize 5 key actions will clear a path to scaling transformation and unlocking unprecedented business value.

Rise of the modern Global Capability Center as a reinvention engine

To realize generative AI’s potential and thrive, companies must fundamentally reinvent how they operate. And every company needs the right talent to strategically apply tech, data and AI to transform their business. But this talent is scarce.

How can organizations access, create and unlock the talent needed, at scale? With Global Capability Centers (GCCs), which have pivoted to become true business reinvention engines. GCCs connect organizations to a global pool of top-tier talent equipped with the latest technology and training needed to stay ahead of industry trends, continually innovate and create sustained growth. Modern GCCs deliver much more than lower costs or a better back office—they help organizations digitalize faster, unlock value across the enterprise and drive growth.

Five steps to reinventing with GCCs – starting with talent

  1. Set a comprehensive talent strategy. Identify the specific skills and capabilities for the GCC to develop/enhance to meet business goals.

  2. Choose a talent-rich location. 62% of highly-skilled professionals live in Asia Pacific, Africa, and Latin America (estimated to grow to 67% by 2030).

  3. Build your digital core. Enhance technical capabilities that align with the organization's broader goals; plan for continuous investment.

  4. Promote cross-functional collaboration. GCCs help foster working together to integrate data, technology, and business processes, unlocking multidisciplinary outcomes.

  5. Connect your culture. GCCs help reset cultural. Omni-connected cultures—that ensure that employees, regardless of their location, are better off—generate a 7.4% increase in revenue growth.

GCCs help organizations tap into valuable, diverse talent networks, drive long-term growth and innovation, and ensure agility—all while maintaining their distinct corporate cultures and values.

Manish Sharma / CEO of Accenture North America

Reinventing Accenture: Our GCC journey

We know the transformative power of GCCs because we’ve seen it firsthand. We've simplified and unified processes across our worldwide offices. This effort was spearheaded by our leadership teams in corporate functions and operations, who redesigned essential business processes and used technology, especially data analytics and AI. We established a unified global business services team that operates centers in Argentina, the Philippines, and India.

We now run the largest GCC in the world—and the benefits of this transformation are substantial. Impressively, 30+% of improvements were driven by initiatives involving data and AI. These changes have not only saved us $2.0 billion but also made our operations more agile and created more and better career opportunities for our staff.

WRITTEN BY

Manish Sharma

CEO of the Americas and Market Unit Lead – US

Paul Jeruchimowitz

Senior Managing Director Talent & Organization, Operating Model & Organizational Design, Global Lead

Arundhati Chakraborty

Group Chief Executive – Accenture Operations

Muqsit Ashraf

Group Chief Executive – Strategy