With India fast becoming a global powerhouse of GCCs, Rajesh Ojha and Vivek Prasad examine the growing footprint of these centres and recommend ways in which they can innovate, build trust, transform business and align with the requirements of the recently released Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.
An investment services group wanted to set up an in-house capability centre. The group needed a partner with strong knowledge of the global capability centre (GCC) landscape in India and the capability to deliver a range of solutions around location assessment, facility and real estate, recruitment, HR policy and compensation, and payroll.
Our team worked with industry partners in real estate and recruitment to set up the GCC, benchmarked compensation for the client in accordance with industry standards, and offered recruitment support and payroll management services.
Outcome: The client was able to find a one-stop solution for an end-to-end GCC setup that capitalised on local market knowledge.
In the last couple of years, more than 150 multinationals have set up their GCCs in India.1 Today, India is at the heart of the GCC growth momentum, but its offshoring story dates back to 1985 when Texas Instruments set up its office in Bengaluru.2 In the 1990s, other companies followed suit with many airlines and technology companies starting their operations in India. Originally called ‘captives centres’, they have, over the years, come to be addressed as GICs (global in-house centres) or GCCs. In 2012, there were about 760 GICs operating out of India. In 2016, that number went over 1,000. Today, India houses over 1,600 GCCs. By 2025, the country is poised to have 1,900 such centres with the market size touching USD 60 billion.3
While these GCCs have been performing a variety of functions for their parent organisations and have grown significantly in number, headcount and stature, the needle has moved considerably over the past three decades or so. Consistent performance and a commitment to shared goals have helped GCCs build trust with all their stakeholders including their parent companies for long-term success and growth. In fact, silos have been broken, global roles are being anchored from the India offices and work has been flowing seamlessly across borders.
Today, GCCs operating across all service lines – IT services, BPO, engineering services and software product development – have gone up the value chain by delivering complex work requiring significant understanding of business context and imperatives. They have made a mark in key industry verticals such as banking and financial services, software, telecom and semiconductor with growing concentration in aerospace, automotive, oil and gas, healthcare and pharma.
Source: Nasscom & Zinnov. India-redefining-globalization-blueprint, PwC analysis
Source: Nasscom & Zinnov. India-redefining-globalization-blueprint, PwC analysis
The good news is that the growth of the global sourcing sector has ensured the metamorphosis of GCCs into centres of excellence (CoEs), profit centres, programme management offices and an innovation hotbed for emerging markets. New GCCs are being set up to add latest capabilities to their global portfolio (beyond cost and scale) which, in turn, is enabling local market expansion for the parent firm and is helping them in managing strategic local partnerships. What’s more, some of the disruptive changes such as digital, big data, analytics, mobility and cloud computing enable them to enhance value by creating a unique proposition for the parent firm.
This article examines the current state of the GCC industry in India, the country’s burgeoning potential and offers recommendations for companies who consider GCCs as a strategic lever for their business and operating model.
- Amit Chandra, Chairman, Bain Capital India Office
Some challenges that GCCs often have to address include:
Over time, by nurturing an environment of collaboration, learning and continuous improvement, they have been successful in overcoming such challenges. Today GCCs are not only contributing to their parent organisations’ success but are also propelling India's economic growth. At present, GCCs in India account for more than 1% of the country’s GDP20 and the share is expected to grow further. As more global players eye India to set up their GCC operations, the government has a crucial role to play in facilitating their entry.
Navigating India’s complex regulatory environment can be challenging. Lack of a cohesive regulatory framework can result in operational delays and increased compliance costs. The central and state governments need to work towards streamlining and simplifying regulatory processes that are transparent and efficient. This enables seamless implementation of the policies launched by various states.
For instance, Tamil Nadu’s Research and Development Policy 2022 offers special incentives to R&D centres and GCCs. These include a special capital subsidy, innovation lab incentive, and subsidies for software licences and product testing and prototyping facilities.21 The Government of Maharashtra has launched a new IT/ITES policy 2023 including provisions for GCCs and Data Centers, while there is also a special focus to establish an integrated Center of Excellence (CoE) and develop Innovation clusters inline with the NASSCOM Startup Warehouse Program of Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) in the state.
While evaluating various growth paradigms to enable future expansions, GCCs also need to assess the state policies in alignment with the critical factors of business, ease and cost of operations in the long-run.
With the Parliament’s green light to the new Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, navigating data protection regulations will be an added focus for the GCCs. GCCs in India often handle sensitive and personal data, including data which has originated within the country as well as data from other countries because a large amount of data is shared between the headquarters and the GCCs. The data points are usually stored in large data lakes in a personalised database that can be accessed for processing and carrying out the operations.
Moreover, many GCCs collaborate with third-party vendors and may need to review their contracts and agreements with service providers in view of the requirements of the Act. By demonstrating a commitment to data security compliance, putting data protection measures in place, and investing in robust security measures, GCCs can strengthen the trust quotient and increase stakeholder confidence.
In these circumstances, it is important to partner with an advisor to help navigate the granularity of the Act and its implications.
Three key steps that companies need to take to ensure adherence to the Act include:
GCCs could consider setting up a privacy organisation that consists of a data protection officer (DPO) and representatives of various functions along with their roles and responsibilities.23 Additional actions they can take could include:
GCCs could also implement data privacy technologies that can be leveraged for data protection.25
To enable a smoother transition towards value creation, GCC leaders need to develop prudent strategies in the following areas:
India’s proximity to other emerging markets is one of the key reasons why parent organisations are looking at India to house strategic global roles. This underscores the need for companies to invest in leadership development programmes to empower the Indian workforce to take on global responsibilities. Securing and retaining talent can also be a formidable challenge in a competitive job market. According to a recent PwC survey, 46% of employees in India are likely to switch jobs in the next year.27 Last year, GCCs met 46% of their talent needs by absorbing employees from IT and new-age companies, according to a survey.28 By 2030, nearly 20,000 global roles in GCCs will be housed in India as the offshore units become strategic centres for the headquarters.29 GCCs, therefore, need to create talent in-house, incentivise company loyalty and facilitate collaboration with the education industry to create specific training programmes.
GCCs are increasingly focusing on inclusivity and diversity as a core aspect of their strategic charter. At least 55% of the GCCs have a diversity council at their India site.30 Bridging cultural gaps between the parent company's culture and the local workforce can often be a tricky and sensitive job, especially in Tier-2 cities which may have entrenched local norms. Companies need to foster a culture of inclusion and collaboration at the workplace and facilitate cultural integration through sensitisation programmes and cross-functional interactions. Establishing clear key performance indicators (KPIs) is essential to help employees align their efforts with organisational goals.
A GCC delivery centre looking to evolve into a transformation hub has engaged PwC India to design a KPI cascade and key result areas (KRAs) for their employee performance management. Our team is helping provide the GCC’s employees with a roadmap to enable them to understand their role in achieving organisational objectives.
Companies looking to grow in terms of size and revenue need to reinvent their digital strategy. GCCs will have to strategise technology adoption, from selecting the right platforms to implementing robust cybersecurity measures and ensuring a secure, tech-enabled environment. At present, nearly 30% of the GCCs have dedicated CoEs for intelligent automation in India, while 50% of the companies are in the test phase.31 GCCs need to leverage the capabilities of cloud computing and data analytics to drive their expansion.
PwC India collaborated with the GCC of a global software company to reconfigure its operating model around data and customer insights. The outcome of this endeavour was a deeper customer engagement through data-driven customer insights, and strategic planning and throughput based on data-driven decision making.
In another instance, our team helped the GCC of a beverage manufacturer in their digital transformation journey by bringing the right mix of technical and management skills which enabled the client to automate its key processes and obtain data driven insights for its HR, supply chain management and procurement functions.
Our team also collaborated with the GCC of a multinational retailer to provide finance record-to-report (RTR) process consulting along with a roadmap for data analytics. The engagement aimed to identify processes, technology improvements and new interventions across the RTR process for simplification, standardisation and automation while creating a transformational roadmap for technology interventions.
The world we work in today has witnessed disruptions in nearly all areas – health, economics and markets, including labour market and supply chains. The current geopolitical scenario and sanctions, among other factors, are adding to the complexity of the environment. The rapidly changing business environment demands agility, cooperation and a panoramic view of risk among the C-suite.
Given these circumstances, the interconnectedness and velocity of risks have increased. Managing risk today is about changing the way we perceive things, shifting our perspective and considering different angles to anticipate risks. As organisations undergo digital transformation, it is important to consider risks beyond the traditional ones to ensure that the transformation programmes deliver on their expected potential.
GCCs will play a key role in driving and operationalising risk management programmes for their parent organisation, as they focus on standardisation and transformation of processes and technology, enabling the effective adoption and success of change initiatives. GCCs will also play a pivotal role in ensuring that risk management approaches are part of large change initiatives within the organisation. To effectively manage risk during digital transformation, organisations need to:
GCCs evidently are gearing up to be able to think ahead of their parent companies to drive growth and innovation, and to continue to upskill their workforce to avoid losing top talent. The road ahead holds much promise:
As GCCs continue to realign their purpose and strategies with changing business needs, the following are a few key aspects that are likely to shape their transformation and impact.
While GCCs have been evolving into strategic enablers, driving organisations to new successes, they are also demonstrating an ability to seize opportunities that lie at the intersection of local dynamics and global strategies.
As macroeconomic headwinds force companies to become more cash conservative, they will increasingly turn to GCCs to build systems at scale with a well-defined roadmap outlining goals and KPIs. As the line between GCCs and their headquarters gets redefined, these offshore units will be required to embrace a forward-looking approach that can anticipate market trends, identify emerging opportunities and show resilience in the face of possible disruptions.
Before setting up a GCC, it is necessary to have a comprehensive methodology in place, combining strategic foresight, rigorous assessment and meticulous planning to create a framework that is agile, adaptable and positioned for long-term success.
PwC India, with its tailored strategies and extensive experience, empowers companies to
Central to designing a strategy is process optimisation. By outlining end-to-end operations, considering right sizing, span of control and governance model, the firm can ensure collaborative workflows in the GCC, embedding the necessary technology stack. As part of crafting the strategy, a business case is developed, taking into account the financial projections, the operational benefits and the risks associated with the setting up of GCCs.
Assessing the scope of the business case developed is crucial to enhance process optimisation. The defined scope and feasibility study act as feedback to develop a target operating model. Ecosystem and risk assessments can further adjust the model to fit business needs. Changes made here are like a double-edged sword, as they can either optimise or push back the process. Having a strong change management system in place helps in designing a strong implementation plan.
Organisations need to evaluate various parameters of growth as they plan to undertake their growth journey in India. In addition, they must identify the right states and locations which will enable long-term and sustainable operations.
In the third step, the unique value proposition of the GCC’s services is defined, along with the key performance indicators (KPIs), enabling effective monitoring of outcomes. This is followed by developing a talent acquisition and retention plan encompassing details of the organisational structure and job descriptions. This stage is vital for enhancing the capabilities of the GCC workforce and facilitating training workshops and staff orientation. Devising a phased implementation roadmap, including activities and milestones, helps the centre identify dependencies between various phases and functions, and allocate necessary resources for each phase.
As the blueprint for building an offshore centre takes shape, the transition phase emerges as a critical juncture in realising the full potential of the GCC. Fit gap analysis assumes centre stage for identifying gaps between the GCC’s functions and the parent organisation’s expectations, further paving the way for targeted interventions. Evaluating prospective office space requirements based on workforce dynamics, occupancy patterns, and demand management sets the stage for the meticulous selection and eventual finalisation of the ideal location. During this phase, meticulous planning and creation of office layouts, along with the installation of furniture, equipment, and essential IT software and hardware all come to fruition. The recruitment process follows shortly. Facilitating a hassle-free onboarding process that acclimatises employees to the organisation’s vision and goals is paramount for building a cohesive workforce ready to drive the transition.
Every organisation is unique, and its operational requirements differ. Collaboration with stakeholders to understand the pain points, expectations and areas of improvement will ensure that the GCC’s process aligns with the company’s objectives. Next, business case tracking based on baseline data collected provides the GCC with actionable insights for informed decision making and desired outcomes. Assessing digital readiness is imperative for understanding the scope of technology interventions, technology gaps and areas of enhancement. This assessment helps identify opportunities where technology can amplify the centre’s efficiency.
In this stage, revisiting and refining the operating model, encompassing cost-effectiveness, governance structures and communication channels, ensures that necessary adjustments are made for the GCC’s optimal performance. As part of the evaluation process, employee perception is also sought and analysed, and their views factored in. Organisational relationships are also reviewed to enable effective knowledge sharing and a collective effort towards achieving GCC’s strategic goals. This step also becomes the first stage of assessment for any further strategic changes and new implementations along the way.
Engaging key stakeholders to conduct GCC visioning workshops and data collection interviews is key to framing a strategy that will align with the firm’s objectives. This is followed by a thorough talent evaluation process, business case reassessment and strategy development to ensure seamless integration of capabilities. A thorough review of the operating model, vendor/partner contracts and process ownership is also conducted to ensure a seamless implementation of the strategy.
Also contributing to this article were Unnikrishnan Padinjyaroot, Vishnupriya Sengupta, Shruti Kumar, Savan Tirthe, Ruchika Uniyal, Rumela Sinha and Jhanvi Sharma.
