Global Business Services: Yielding the Butterfly Effect

While the Global Business Services (GBS) ecosystem has matured with more than 10,000 centers around the world, the growth potential is still immense. The projected growth of the industry from USD 1.8 trillion in 2022 to USD 2.5 trillion USD by 2025 is a reminder that GBS remains an important component of the value equation for global enterprises. The latest report by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) titled, “GBS: Yielding the Butterfly Effect” talks about the repositioning of GBS centers as global talent hubs leading transformation and business outcomes for the enterprise. The report findings are based on the GBS Leadership Survey 2022 which drew participation from GBS senior leadership across the industry supporting organizations based out of North America, Europe & APAC. The paper presents findings from the survey responses coupled with GBS topic expert interviews, secondary research & internal BCG perspectives gleaned through quantitative research backed by qualitative insights.

The report highlights how GBS centers are repositioning themselves as global talent hubs leading transformation and business outcomes for the enterprise. Through case studies, insights from GBS leadership & survey data points, the report shows GBS centers can create exponential value for their parent organizations in five key areas: Driving customer centricity, managing business-critical processes, Leading the way in Next Generation Ways of Working (NWOW), Building capabilities in new age technologies & Fostering innovation. The report also identifies key obstacles faced by GBS leaders and discusses various strategies to navigate through this sea of challenges.