people.
Operational excellence today is deeply intertwined with how organizations lead, engage & empower their teams. Building a culture of continuous improvement isn’t just a process initiative; it’s a people strategy.
1. For GBS Leaders: Driving Strategy Through Leadership
In GBS environments where complexity spans multiple geographies and functions, leadership must drive clarity and consistency. A culture of continuous improvement begins when leaders:
- Establish a unified vision for excellence across all centers.
- Enable cross-functional collaboration to break down silos.
- Promote a fail-fast mindset, encouraging experimentation and learning.
By institutionalizing improvement through frameworks like Lean, Six Sigma, or Agile, GBS leaders can elevate service delivery while aligning with enterprise-level goals.
Example: A leading multinational leveraged design thinking workshops across its GBS hubs to uncover pain points in internal customer journeys—resulting in a 25% improvement in employee satisfaction scores.
2. For HR Leaders: Empowering Talent for Continuous Growth
In Shared Services, people manage processes—but it's their creativity and insights that fuel transformation. HR plays a pivotal role in shaping a culture where improvement is part of every employee's mindset.
Key enablers include:
- Embedding continuous learning in L&D programs.
- Introducing recognition frameworks for innovation and process suggestions.
- Fostering psychological safety, so employees feel empowered to raise inefficiencies.
Example: An HR SSC embedded gamified learning modules focused on process innovation and saw a 3X increase in employee-submitted ideas within one quarter.
3. For Finance SSCs: Merging Process Discipline with People-Centric Change
Finance Shared Services often lead the charge in standardization and automation. However, process excellence can only be sustained through a motivated, skilled workforce.
Finance leaders can strengthen continuous improvement by:
- Involving employees in Kaizen initiatives and process benchmarking.
- Implementing change management protocols for new tools like AI-led forecasting or automated reconciliations.
- Rotating roles to build versatility and engagement.
Example: A global finance SSC implemented monthly "Finance Innovation Days" where teams worked on small automation projects—resulting in a 20% reduction in month-end closing time.
Making Improvement a Shared Habit
Continuous improvement isn’t just a project or a metric—it’s a mindset embedded into the daily rhythm of work. Organizations that succeed in building this culture create a shared language of excellence, where both leaders and teams play a crucial role in transformation.
Conclusion
For GBS leaders, HR heads, and Finance SSCs alike, the human factor is the ultimate differentiator. Tools and technologies will evolve but cultures that nurture adaptability, creativity, and accountability will thrive in the long term.
Because when people are empowered, improvement becomes not just a process but a habit that drives the future of Shared Services.
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