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It’s not a satellite office. It’s a cockpit.
From 40,000 feet in the air, the cockpit doesn’t just receive instructions. It gives them. Course-corrects. Takes critical calls mid-flight. That’s exactly where the best Global Capability Centers (GCCs) now operate from – not waiting on commands from HQ, but rewriting the flight path entirely.
For years, enterprises built GCCs in India as low-cost execution arms. But the ones outperforming today? They’ve stepped out of that frame. They don’t look, feel, or function like delivery centers. They drive outcomes, own roadmaps, and operate as nerve centers – not satellites. They’re steering strategic mandates, owning global charters, and rewriting enterprise playbooks – from right here in India.
India’s GCCs were once set up mainly to save costs and handle back-office operations. These were traditionally referred to as delivery centers: execution-heavy units focused on task completion rather than innovation. Success was measured by metrics such as tickets closed and hours logged. But that model no longer holds up.
Today, businesses move faster. They need teams that think like product owners, not just service providers – teams that take full responsibility from idea to execution. A modern GCC, in contrast to a delivery center, is an integrated extension of the global business – with accountability for outcomes, not just tasks. The old way of working – following orders, staying siloed, and lacking business context – just isn’t enough anymore.
Still, many companies continue to treat their GCCs like delivery centers and are left questioning why innovation remains elusive. If a GCC is still waiting for instructions, it’s not underperforming – it’s underutilized.
At the heart of the GCC transformation is a new kind of talent and leadership density that goes beyond headcount or cost.
India’s GCCs have built a unique bench: engineers who think like product managers, data scientists who understand market nuances, and designers who shape customer journeys. These teams are not just executing – they are making decisions, influencing roadmaps, and accelerating outcomes.
According to the Zinnov–nasscom Mid-Market GCC report:
This talent pool is actively shaping outcomes – with leadership roles deeply integrated into product, data, and business strategy.
As India-based GCCs build not just execution muscle but leadership depth – often influencing global charters – the onus is now on enterprise HQs to redesign their approach. The real unlock doesn’t come from having talent in India. It comes from empowering that talent to lead.
The role of a GCC can no longer be confined to delivery. If treated as such, its contribution will remain transactional – and its potential, untapped.
For enterprise leaders, three shifts are critical:
Leaders who integrate their GCCs into global decision-making, rather than keeping them downstream, are the ones extracting disproportionate value.
The best-performing GCCs today are fundamentally different in 3 key ways:
According to the Zinnov-nasscom Mid-Market GCC report, over 60% of product and platform charters are now driven from India, often in their entirety.
For instance, A US-based GCC is positioning its India center as a global engineering hub, with over 50% of its engineering talent leading R&D in Conversational AI, and building AI-first solutions for product development, customer support, and allied services.
These are not support teams. These are integrated teams shaping global product vision – with ownership, accountability, and a direct line to business impact.
GCCs are now the first mile of transformation – designing the frameworks that HQs adopt globally.
Mid-market GCCs are leading mandates such as process standardization, leadership development, and global functional enablement across HR, finance, and product teams.
For instance, A Colorado-based GCC is establishing its India center as a core engine for global product innovation, with a strong focus on building secure, scalable platforms tailored for civic engagement and government-citizen interface.
What was once a downstream support unit is now driving consistency, speed, and design thinking across core global operations.
Today’s GCCs are contributing upstream – where value is created, not just delivered.
For instance, A New York-based GCC designed a cross-platform architecture with unified commerce capabilities – enabling scalable services, seamless market expansion, and faster customer activation.
Several mid-market GCCs are driving global product management, engineering roadmaps, and enterprise tech strategies directly from India, with over 47% of product management talent based here.
The India GCC is evolving into the nerve center of the global enterprise, fully integrated rather than merely an extension.
According to the Zinnov-nasscom report, this shift is already underway:
When fully empowered, the GCC doesn’t just support business growth – it shapes where the business goes next.
A high-performing GCC is no longer the backstage crew – it’s becoming the co-director of the enterprise script.
Where it was once tasked with executing lines, it’s now helping write them. From owning product roadmaps to shaping business models, the best GCCs are stepping into roles that influence how the entire act unfolds.
This transformation goes beyond surface-level changes; it’s a fundamental shift in structure. For enterprises ready to embrace this evolution, the GCC becomes a powerful source of creative control, far exceeding its traditional role as a mere cost lever.
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