Leading with Purpose: The Human-Centric Path to High-Performing GCCs

Today’s GCCs transcend traditional maturity curves. They start at ‘Day One innovation’. Built for speed, scale, and strategic impact, new-age GCCs are evolving into value creators. This shift demands more than just execution muscle; it calls for a fundamentally different approach to people, culture, and operating models.  

Building a high-impact GCC today means rethinking the full employee lifecycle: from compelling employer branding and immersive candidate engagement to purpose-driven onboarding, sustained employee experience, and long-term talent growth. 

It’s about crafting a culture where teams are empowered to lead, innovate, and stay. And it takes leadership that can blend agility with intentionality, aligning the GCC deeply with enterprise strategy, while building an identity of its own. 

Build a brand that’s Purpose-Driven and Human Centric 

Building a thriving Global Capability Centre in India demands a strategic and human-centric approach from day one.  

• The first step is to invest in strong local leadership and capability-building—leaders who not only set the vision but also shape high-performing teams from day one. This leadership foundation is critical to establishing a purpose-driven identity for the GCC in India, clearly articulating why the center exists, the impact it aims to create, and how it operates as an equal and strategic partner to the global enterprise. 

• Upcoming GCCs must first establish what the brand stands for globally, and then authentically adapt that identity for the India talent landscape. Candidates need a clear and compelling understanding of the GCC’s culture, values, career proposition, and work environment. A strong employer brand must answer a fundamental question: What’s in it for the employee—cutting-edge work, long-term growth, purpose, or a vibrant culture? Without this clarity, engagement weakens and offer drop-offs rise. 

• Cultural cohesion is equally critical in an environment where teams are geographically dispersed. Infusing purpose into every interaction and ensuring that value-added work is consistently moved to the GCC are essential. Implementing the HQ’s performance philosophy and equitable Total Rewards practices forms another set of stepping stones to attract top talent from the very beginning.  

Vidya Munirathnam, VP-HR at Lowe’s India, emphasizes that “effective employer branding for a new GCC in India isn’t just about visibility, it’s about global resonance and local relevance.”   

Get Buy-in From the Leadership 

Leaders shape the tone and strategic direction of the GCC, determining whether it’s going to be cost-focused, capability-led, or innovation-driven. When defining core GCC values, it is crucial to secure authentic leadership buy‑in which is built on two‑way communication and shared expectations. In its absence, organizations risk misalignment or subservience, leading to strategic underutilization of the India center.   

India-based leaders need to contextualize local market nuances for their HQ counterparts, who then must actively act on that insight to build trust and equity. The critical ‘Moment of Truth’ is how the GCC attracts the first 100 hires. Every new hire in early stages is a cultural investment, and hence it is essential to define non-negotiable values upfront during recruitment and reinforce these during onboarding. 

In the words of Rachelle Rhodes, Global HR Director at Ferguson, “From day one, our leadership has been very intentional about being talent-focused rather than cost-focused. This mindset became a key selling point to the executive committee, enabling us to circumvent a service provider model and build in-house capabilities in India.”   

Personalized Onboarding, Localized Execution 

While core values often align between HQ and India, the execution of these core values must be locally tailored. To stay agile, GCCs should routinely audit their practices, policies, and benefits, benchmark against peer centers, and dig deep into what truly matters to employees, especially given Gen Z’s strong demand for meaningful work, autonomy, and recognition.  

Shirl Pinto, Director – People Practice at Saks Global, emphasizes that “while interactive pre-boarding tools like videos and gamified assessments create an engaging foundation, it’s the one-on-one leader interactions in the first week that truly secures commitment and clarity for new hires.”  

• A tech-enabled, yet human onboarding experience is key to driving early engagement and retention. Context-aware policies, like tailoring recognition programs to local expectations can help further strengthen employee connection. 

• Pre-onboarding initiatives play a critical role in fostering employee engagement. It’s crucial to remember that employees evaluate employers just as much as companies assess candidates, with multiple-offer culture leading to widespread drop-offs. Companies can use interactive touch points like video calls with leaders, pre-onboarding games, value-based nudges to build excitement and reinforce commitment. 

• Indian employees often expect more structured learning, career development, and recognition, which is why care must be taken to build these benchmarks into the local talent strategy.   

Position the GCC as an Equal Partner 

What truly elevates employer branding for a new GCC in India is authenticity and partnership, achieved by clearly articulating what the brand stands for, its vision, and why it exists. Companies must share both – achievements and challenges, and consistently position India as an equal partner in the global business plan. When employees feel a genuine sense of belonging, reinforced by meaningful benefits, recognition, and a strong culture, they’re more likely to value the overall experience over marginal pay differences.  

For GCC employees to feel truly integrated as global peers, it’s important to foster equity in day-to-day operations, including sensitivity around meeting schedules. Effective cross-time-zone collaboration is built on shared compromise; just as U.S.-based leaders may avoid early morning meetings for personal commitments, the evening hours of India-based colleagues’ merit equal consideration. Balanced collaboration means sharing both – the opportunities and the challenges.  

As Sreekumar Bahuleyan, VP – HR for VS & Co. aptly puts it: “Share the Joy, share the pain, a timeless reminder that emotional connection transcends spreadsheets.”  

Reward Strategies Must be Tailored to the Workforce 

Different generations bring varied priorities to the workplace. Early career talent often seeks rapid learning, certifications, and cutting-edge projects, even if it means compromising temporarily on culture. In contrast, mid-career professionals place greater emphasis on purpose, psychological safety, and a healthy work environment over perks or compensation alone.   

• Yet, across all generations, a sense of belonging remains a common thread; how it’s fostered, however, differs. In some cases, it could be through employee resource groups, community engagement, or meaningful manager interactions. Instead of blanket benefits, customization based on employee needs (e.g., parental insurance opt-outs, flexible benefits) creates more relevance and value.  

• Benefit planning should prioritize long-term purpose, vision clarity, and alignment with organizational values, rather than focusing solely on specific perks. It can be reasonable to phase out low-utilization offerings if they do not meet the needs of most employees.   

In the words of Sreekumar Bahuleyan, VP – HR for VS & Co., “Compensation, rewards and benefits are like oxygen and water – necessary, but not differentiators. If you have a lunch spread which has five dessert items and three starters and a lot of other food, a lot of that will go to waste. It’s very important to get your reward strategy right. In addition to benefits, purpose and meaningful work are core differentiators.” 

Beyond the Playbook: Personalization Over Uniformity 

To truly differentiate themselves in today’s competitive landscape, new GCCs must reject legacy blueprints in favor of personalized, people-first strategies. This means curating experiences across the entire employee lifecycle, from authentic employer branding and thoughtful candidate engagement, to high-touch onboarding and meaningful, ongoing development. When perks and policies are paired with a consistently lived culture, visible leadership, and a shared mission from day one, the employee experience becomes truly transformative. 

It’s this intentional focus on personalization over uniformity that builds trust, accelerates belonging, and creates sustainable impact. In an ecosystem where talent has multiple options and expectations are higher than ever, only those GCCs that lead with empathy, clarity, and commitment will succeed. The future belongs to centers that don’t just replicate success but redefine it.