2025-05-26

Back from SSOW Lisbon: Technology in GBS – Still an Enabler or Just an Untapped Asset?

Last week at SSOW Lisbon, one message echoed across conversations:
Global Business Services (GBS) cannot deliver strategic value without the right technology backbone.

Whether it’s Finance, HR, or IT, GBS teams are expected to run lean, deliver faster, and provide greater transparency. But to do that, they need more than just talent and process – they need modern, fit-for-purpose technology.
And yet, despite a saturated tech landscape, most organizations are still struggling to make it work.

Here’s what I heard over and over again:

🔹 1. S/4HANA dominates the agenda
Large-scale ERP transformations are consuming all attention and resources. As a result, other initiatives — like automating manual finance processes — are repeatedly delayed, sometimes for years.

🔹 2. IT capacity is the bottleneck
Finance has the ideas and the business case, but not the development resources. IT is often overwhelmed, leaving critical automation and integration needs on the back burner.

🔹 3. Tools are underutilized and poorly adopted
Companies invest in financial close platforms — only to use them as glorified file storage with basic RPA on top. Without a clear rollout strategy and ownership, adoption stalls and ROI disappears.

🔹 4. Misuse of generic tools through over-customization
Too often, companies force basic workflow tools into roles they weren’t designed for — like using a ticketing system for journal entry approvals. This bypasses internal controls and fragments the financial close process.

🔹 5. Skipping process redesign altogether
In the rush to implement tools, many organizations overlook a fundamental step: rethinking the underlying process. Automating a broken process doesn’t fix it — it just makes the inefficiencies run faster. Without redesign, even the best tools can become expensive workarounds rather than drivers of value.

So, where does that leave us?

It’s clear the challenge isn’t access to technology — it’s strategic prioritization and execution. GBS leaders must work closely with Finance, IT, and Compliance to:

✔️ Set a clear digital roadmap beyond ERP
✔️ Invest in change management and user enablement
✔️ Focus on end-to-end integration, not just point solutions

Technology remains the great enabler — but only when implemented with intention and accountability.

Let’s shift the conversation from tools to outcomes. Curious to hear: how are you addressing these challenges in your organization?