What Is Shared Services & Global Business Services (GBS)

Delivery model for the effective and efficient delivery of non-core services to the business. It employs a specialist team, geographically unconstrained, and focuses on the requirements of the customer. Shared Services is characterized by its client-focus, use of technology, and implementation of leading practices. The goal of Shared Services is to provide high quality, non-core, but mission-critical services to the business at a lower cost and more efficiently than the business could otherwise provide for itself.
A Shared Service Organization operates as a business in that it seeks to provide services to its clients (rather than treating volume as a workload to be avoided), and it strives for continuous improvement. The organization is focused on providing better customer services, maturing the model and extracting greater value.

Global Business Services (GBS) is a more evolved version of the Shared Services model. It is characterized by an integrated and consistent service portfolio, delivered across the entire enterprise. Usually covering multiple regions/locations, operating units and functions/service lines. With global leadership, a mix of internal and outsourced service provision, core ERP and technology enablement and global process ownership. Often reporting directly into a CXO.