Goodbye Shared Services, Hello Shared Intelligence

From Optimization to Influence: Why GBS Must Shape Business Simplification, Not Just Execute It

Are we simplifying business, or are we just simplifying within GBS?

True transformation begins not when GBS optimizes itself, but when it has the influence and insight to drive business simplification at the source. It’s time GBS stepped out of the back office and became the architecture layer for decision-ready, streamlined enterprises. We are at a crucial inflection point in the GBS transformation: The difference between standardizing on the surface and simplifying at the source.

• Top-Down Clarity: What truly matters to enterprise value creation?

• Bottom-Up Reality: What are the thousands of tasks we still perform, and who really benefits?

If it’s the latter — you’re looking at an automation project. If it’s the former — you’re staring at the core of GBS’s purpose.

This single question forms the litmus test for Zero-Based Solutioning. Not zero-based headcounts. Not zero-based contracts. But zero-based purpose.

Zero-Based Solutions: From Theory to Action

To implement this effectively, GBS must redefine its operating playbook through five filters:

•  Business Criticality – Is this work essential for decision-making or business continuity?

• Policy Challenge – Can this be simplified or eliminated through business rule changes?

• Automation Potential – Can this be digitized without human judgment?

• Insight Generation – Does this work fuel the enterprise’s strategic or tactical levers?

• Outcome Accountability – Does this work have measurable business impact?

The Commercial Paradox

As we discussed in a previous article, the irony of outcome-based contracts is that clients sometimes use outcomes to demonstrate that no real value was delivered — purely to lower the price. This “bar game” mindset discourages real partnership and prevents the shift to a Shared Intelligence model, where GBS becomes a node of influence, not just delivery.

From FTEs to Impact: A New Measurement Language

We must shift from asking:  “How many FTEs did we save?” To: “What decisions did we influence? What outcomes did we enable?” This requires new KPIs for GBS itself. Here are three you can start with:

As we evolve from Shared Services to Shared Intelligence, we must embrace a new mindset:

GBS is not here to execute processes. It’s here to question them. Not to optimize within boundaries, but to redesign the boundaries themselves.

 Next Week: Building the Intelligent Nerve Center