Indian GCCs must step up as strategic shock absorbers for enterprise disruption

Global enterprises are experiencing relentless disruption from trade tariffs and inflation to unstable supply chains and political volatility. Enterprise leaders aren’t just looking to cut costs, they need strategic shock absorbers embedded deep within their operations. This is where India’s Global Capability Centers (GCCs) must evolve, not as back-office engines but as transformation hubs ready to tackle volatility head-on with technology, agility, and foresight.

The growth trajectory of Indian GCCs has been discussed profusely in the industry. But how can these GCCs sustain growth and add value to the enterprise, especially in turbulent times? This report discusses several cost-efficient processes, innovative solutions, and pragmatic alignments with CXOs.

Celanese launched a capability center to tap into local engineering talent, while McDonald’s opened a technology center to enhance its digital initiatives. Also, Marriott International established a Global Shared Services hub to support its operations. These moves reflect the enterprise’s focus on cost, innovation, and leveraging technology to address global challenges.

From cost center to shock absorber—the strategic GCC mandate

Indian GCCs are no longer back-office support engines as they’re now the frontline response to global disruption. As enterprise leaders contend with inflation, tariff volatility, and fragmented supply chains, they need embedded capabilities that can react quickly and scale. Progressive GCCs are using scenario-based planning and real-time analytics to model the impact of economic shocks. Moreover, they are proactively shifting sourcing strategies and onboarding alternative suppliers with agility.

This is about strategic foresight, not just operational excellence. Financial forecasting across ‘what-if’ economic models recession, stagflation, deflation gives enterprises the confidence to adapt in volatile markets. By building intelligence hubs that integrate procurement, sales, risk, and finance, Indian GCCs enable leaders to make smarter decisions faster.

If your GCC isn’t driving proactive planning, it’s not a strategic asset. It’s time to ask: Is your offshore capability equipped to act as a global resilience engine, or is it just another node in your cost structure?

Benchmarks and automation separate leaders from laggards

Data-backed benchmarking is the difference between high-performing GCCs and those that merely survive. Progressive enterprises track every task by function (monthly and yearly) to raise automation efforts on par with industry benchmarks (see Exhibit 1). As GCCs mature, automation and efficiency should increase year over year.

Whether it’s about devices managed per FTE in workplace services or invoices processed annually in finance, the productivity delta between automated and non-automated operations is undeniable. Mature GCCs deliver 20%–30% cost savings over outsourced equivalents while accelerating service levels.

Exhibit 1: Support benchmarking metrics with automation and without automation by maturity

Source: HFS Research and HEX Benchmarking, April 2025

However, benchmarking without action is just noise. Enterprises must use these metrics to make real-time decisions about where to automate, reskill, and hold provider partners accountable.

Is your GCC meeting or beating peer benchmarks? If not, what’s your plan to close the gap—through automation, talent, or transformation partnerships?

Hybrid GCC models drive agility, not just efficiency

In a world where niche capabilities often determine competitive edge, leading GCCs embrace a hybrid model, combining in-house expertise with select third-party partnerships. The goal is not to outsource for cost—but to access specialized skills quickly, whether in AI, cloud, cybersecurity, or regulatory compliance.

However, this only works when enterprise leaders control the strategy. Provider partnerships must be outcome-based, not effort-based. A mature hybrid model ensures agility and continuous improvement, while keeping intellectual capital and core decision-making within the enterprise.

Are your external providers augmenting your GCC’s agility or locking you into legacy delivery models? It’s time to rethink what ‘partnership’ really means.

The Bottom Line: Enterprise leaders must act now—raise the bar on performance and rewire your GCCs as transformation powerhouses.

The next wave of global uncertainty isn’t a question of ‘if’ but ‘when’. Enterprise leaders must reimagine their GCCs not as operational extensions but as frontline hubs for resilience and innovation. This means:

• Treating benchmarking as a strategic control system not a retrospective dashboard.
• Scaling automation deliberately and relentlessly to offset margin pressures and talent constraints.
• Building hybrid models with clear accountability, leveraging providers for niche skills, not diluting internal control.
• Demanding bold leadership from GCC heads who can align capabilities with enterprise ambition, not just operational stability.

Don’t wait for the next disruption to test your readiness. Empower your GCCs now or risk irrelevance later.