L&D’s Integral Role in Shaping the GCC Evolution

As I interacted with several GCC (Global Capability Centre) leaders during recent industry events, a common thread emerged from conversations around their strategic direction.

GCCs are increasingly being seen as reservoirs of talent and more importantly, the focus is on creating global leadership roles based out of India.

In terms of context, India is home to 1580 GCCs that employ 1.66 million resources, as per a Nasscom-Zinnov report from June 2023.

And according to Ernst & Young’s projections, the number of GCCs in India is likely to touch 2400 by year 2030, with the employee base growing to 4.5 million.

Over the past few decades, GCCs have evolved from providing cost arbitrage to becoming centers of value creation, innovation, and transformation.

And as GCCs continue to grow and evolve in terms of scope and scale, talent will continue to be a key differentiator. And to propel this growth, Learning and Development will need to play a crucial role.

As L&D leaders design their strategies around talent development and retention, here are 3 key pillars to consider. These are derived based on our understanding of the industry landscape and the best practices from our partnerships with notable GCCs.?

(1)??? Continuous Learning

At the core of innovative organizations, is a workforce that is continuously exposed to new ideas. In order to foster innovation and creativity, it is essential to invest in continuous learning, while also giving employees the freedom to experiment.

Once the key learning areas are defined in alignment with organizational strategy, here are a few ways in which Continuous learning can be integrated into the organizational fabric:

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• Create a Learning calendar for the year. Organize workshops on specific themes in a calendarized fashion and publish the schedule in advance. Invite employees to sign up for these workshops based on their interest and track their participation and feedback. ?
• Engage industry experts to facilitate workshops. Their ability to contextualize the concept and share insights, would add immense value to participants.
• Strike partnerships with academia. Engaging renowned academicians who are at the forefront of research, would add a valuable dimension to the overall learning experience.
• Design a mix of in-person and virtual workshops, to sustain interest and promote effective learning at scale.
• With specific reference to emerging technologies such as AI, apart from domain knowledge, bring in experts to facilitate discussions around ways to leverage AI to enhance client experience, drive productivity and product innovation.

(2)??? Leadership development

The Nasscom-Zinnov report states that GCCs are being seen as a ‘Sandbox for Global Leadership’. Global roles in India-based GCCs are expected to grow from 5000+ in 2022 to over 20,000 by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 19%.

As the war for talent heats up, investing in leadership development programs serves multiple purposes. Firstly, it helps create a pipeline of future leaders to aid business growth. Secondly, it is a great retention tool as employees tend to continue with organizations that invest in them. And thirdly, it helps attract new talent.

As you develop Leadership development strategies, here are a few points to consider:

• Designed focused leadership programs for managers and leaders across levels. It is a good idea to start early with high-potential managers and groom them for senior roles progressively.
• Engage a panel of industry experts and academicians to address various themes within the program. This brings variety and encourages diverse perspectives to filter through the program.
• Design programs such that they are spread across a few weeks or months, since behavioral skills take time to manifest.
• Include different types of learning elements such as Assessment, Masterclasses, Case study discussions, Group coaching sessions and Self-paced learning to ensure holistic assimilation.
• Introduce Business-school assimilation for senior leaders, providing an opportunity to go back to campus and learn from renowned experts.

(3)??? Driving an inclusive culture

A Recent LinkedIn survey showed that 80% of employees want to work with a company that values Diversity and Inclusion.?

As organizations focus on designing inclusive cultures, that foster a sense of belonging for all employees, Learning plays a critical role in the following ways:

• Sensitization workshops on all aspects of Diversity, equity and inclusion are crucial for employees across levels
• Managers and leaders would benefit from focused workshops around themes such as Inclusive Leadership and Psychological safety.
• Support DEI and Employee Engagement initiatives through focused learning interventions aligned to key events such as PRIDE month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Women’s Month and others.

There are numerous reports that prove a correlation between strong learning cultures and organizational metrics such as talent retention, internal mobility and growth. ?

As GCCs gear up for growth and transformation, Learning and Development is a strong lever to manage and develop a multi-generational talent pool.

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