The region's business service sector is shifting focus from cost and efficiency to operating intelligence, with Poland having over 2,000 business service centres.

Central and Eastern Europe's business service sector is changing its narrative, moving away from selling itself as a low-cost location for capable work. The region now has a significant presence in the global business services market, with Poland alone having over 2,000 business service centres. These centres employ almost half a million people and have knowledge-intensive business services exports valued at almost $43 billion.

Shifting focus

The sector is shifting its focus from efficiency and cost to organisational learning and operating intelligence. This involves looking at what the work reveals about the enterprise, what can be redesigned, and what should be stopped. The old language of business services was built around efficiency, but the new language must be built around organisational learning.

The power of GBS

The Global Business Services (GBS) sector sits at the crossing point of functions, markets, systems, and habits, giving it a unique perspective on the organisation. It sees the connective tissue between different parts of the business, including finance, procurement, HR, and operations. This allows GBS to identify areas where processes can be improved and redesigned.

The future of GBS

The future of the GBS sector in Central and Eastern Europe depends on its ability to stop describing itself as a labour market and start behaving like an operating brain. This means moving away from competing on cost and focusing on the ability to interpret operational reality and redesign processes. Technology will play a role in this shift, but it should not hijack the story.

Key points

• Poland has over 2,000 business service centres, employing almost half a million people.
• The sector's knowledge-intensive business services exports are valued at almost $43 billion.
• Nearly 60% of the services delivered by the sector are now knowledge-intensive.
• More than 54% of the services involve complex mid-office work such as planning, cybersecurity, and advanced analytics.
• The sector is shifting its focus from efficiency and cost to organisational learning and operating intelligence.
• The GBS sector sits at the crossing point of functions, markets, systems, and habits, giving it a unique perspective on the organisation.