The shared services era is ending—and “control towers” are the next operating model
Shared services were designed for efficiency: centralize transactions, standardize processes, reduce cost. Modern GCCs are moving beyond that model into something more strategic: control towers.
A control tower is an operating model that provides:
- End-to-end visibility
- Decision support
- Governance and risk oversight
- AI-enabled orchestration across processes and geographies
This shift is consistent with how Global Business Services (GBS) is evolving toward more agile, digital, and transformation-oriented models, as reflected in Deloitte’s 2025 Global Business Services Survey.
Why this evolution is happening now
1) AI turns operations into a design problem
As AI adoption accelerates, the enterprise problem becomes orchestration: what should be automated, who owns the workflow, and how outcomes are measured.
McKinsey’s 2026 operations commentary emphasizes that AI moved from experimentation to enterprise impact—reshaping productivity and resilience.
Control towers are a structural response: a place where cross-functional outcomes are governed.
2) GCCs are shifting from cost arbitrage to capability arbitrage
The ecosystem narrative is increasingly about building advanced capabilities—embedded AI, regulatory compliance, analytics—not just cost reduction. A 2025 GCC report notes this transition explicitly as India’s GCC base grows.
3) Leadership expectations are changing
Boards and CXOs now expect GCCs to create enterprise value: faster close, better forecasting, better customer outcomes, lower risk—rather than only cheaper execution.
What a GCC “control tower” looks like in practice
Finance Control Tower
- Faster close and stronger controllership
- FP&A forecasting accuracy and scenario modeling
- Working capital governance
- Automated variance and risk signals
Operations Control Tower
- Cycle time reduction across processes
- Cross-function issue resolution
- Workforce productivity analytics
- AI-enabled monitoring of operational bottlenecks
Risk & Compliance Control Tower
- Data governance and controls
- Audit readiness
- Policy enforcement and reporting
The enabling layer: AI + analytics + governance
The biggest mistake companies make is building a “control tower” as a dashboard project. A real control tower is an operating system:
- Clear owners for every metric
- Decision rights when metrics move
- Root-cause workflows
- Automation where it compounds
This matters because AI adoption without measurement frameworks creates waste. The Zinnov + ProHance findings (as covered in late 2025) highlight that many organizations still lack robust AI ROI measurement frameworks—exactly what control towers are meant to solve.
Where Singapore fits
In a dual-hub model, Singapore can host the governance and stakeholder interface layer—especially for APAC operations—while the India GCC runs scalable execution, analytics, and workflow ownership.
EDB’s 2025 review emphasizes Singapore’s role in HQ investments and digital solutions demand, reinforcing its “coordination layer” role.
If your GCC is still measured mainly on cost and headcount, it may be time to redesign it into a control tower model. If useful, Enorbe can share a control-tower blueprint (metrics, cadence, and workflow ownership model) that’s practical for mid-market scale.
