How to Build a Strong GBS Culture in Your Organization

How to Build a Strong GBS Culture in Your Organization

Global Business Services (GBS) can be defined as a multifunctional approach that combines the contribution of various operational departments to optimize value delivery for the organization. The collaborative, customer-centric, and innovative GBS operating model has become a popular choice for organizations that seek to drive efficiency and increase their market competitiveness. However, building a strong GBS culture is not always easy. This article will provide some key insights on how to create and sustain a robust and effective GBS culture in your organization.

Defining Your GBS Identity

The first step is to define your GBS identity. In other words, the culture of your GBS organization should be consistent with the stated objectives and mission of your company. It is essential to communicate the purpose, vision, and mandate of the GBS function clearly to all stakeholders, including employees, partners, and customers. This will help everyone understand their roles, responsibilities, and expectations and align their efforts towards the achievement of common goals.

Cultivating a Customer-centric Mindset

A successful GBS culture should be customer-centric. This means that the GBS function should be focused on enhancing the experience and satisfaction of internal and external customers. To achieve this, GBS leaders should continuously seek feedback from customers and act on it to improve service delivery. Moreover, all employees working in GBS should be trained on customer service skills and should understand the impact of their work on the end-users.

Promoting Collaboration and Teamwork

GBS is not a single function, but rather a collection of multiple functions working together to achieve common objectives. Therefore, it is crucial to build a culture of collaboration and teamwork within the GBS organization. This can be achieved by creating opportunities for cross-functional training, job rotations, and team-building activities. Such initiatives can strengthen working relationships, foster a sense of belonging, and enhance trust among team members.

Encouraging Innovation and Continuous Improvement

GBS functions should always look for ways to improve value delivery and optimize costs. Innovation and continuous improvement are key drivers of a successful GBS culture. Leaders should encourage employees to share new ideas, experiment with new approaches, and embrace change. Moreover, GBS organizations should adopt agile methodologies, such as Lean Six Sigma, to streamline processes, reduce waste, and enhance operational efficiency.

Case Study: How Novartis Built a Strong GBS Culture

Novartis, a Swiss multinational pharmaceutical company, has been successful in building and sustaining a strong GBS culture. They achieved this by prioritizing collaboration, customer-centricity, innovation, and continuous improvement. Novartis established a global GBS function that supports more than 60,000 employees in over 200 countries. Their GBS teams are trained to be agile, flexible, and value-driven, focusing on delivering the best experience to both internal and external stakeholders.

Conclusion

In conclusion, building a strong GBS culture is a challenging but rewarding experience. It requires a concerted effort from GBS leaders, employees, partners, and customers to achieve a shared vision of success. Defining the GBS identity, cultivating a customer-centric mindset, promoting collaboration and teamwork, and encouraging innovation and continuous improvement are some of the key ingredients of a successful GBS culture. Adopting best practices from successful GBS organizations like Novartis can also provide valuable insights and solutions to overcome challenges and achieve excellence.