Building Knowledge Repositories for GCC Innovation

In today’s hyper-competitive landscape, leveraging a purpose-built knowledge repository has become the fundamental driver of innovation. This is particularly true for Global Capability Centers (GCCs), who have evolved from operations and support centers into strategic hubs of growth and innovative engines.  

By embedding Artificial Intelligence (AI), data analytics, and research and development (R&D) into their core workflows, GCCs are enabling enterprise transformation at a global level. According to a BCG Report, GCCs that set up or expanded AI-led Centers of Excellence (CoEs) outperformed their peers, and helped their parent organizations assume global leadership roles.

What are Knowledge Repositories?

Retention and proliferation of knowledge and digital resources has become critical for productivity in GCCs, regardless of their size and industry. A knowledge repository is a centralized digital database designed to systematically capture, organize, store, and disseminate an organization’s collective intelligence.

GCCs generate a vast amount of diverse knowledge, which can be categorized into the following: 

• Explicit Knowledge: It is information that corporates can easily explain, write down, and pass on. These can be articulated in manuals, standard operating procedures, or project notes. For GCCs, it refers to creating clear workflows relating to IT services, data analytics, and project development.

• Tacit Knowledge: This is the kind of know-how employees acquire through hands-on experience rather than formal training—gained through intuition, insights, and practical lessons accumulated over time.

For GCCs, these may involve an engineer’s intuitive ability to debug a complex system or a data scientist’s sharp eye for subtle patterns. It may also include a team lead’s effortless way of handling cross-cultural conversations.

• Implicit Knowledge: This is the kind of information that employees can’t just look up. Instead, they can gain this knowledge through training, observation, and hands-on learning. This falls between explicit and tacit knowledge. However, it can be made explicit through structured learning or process documentation.

For Global Capability Centers, bringing all sort of knowledge in one place can make a huge difference. It can help teams work more efficiently, stay consistent, onboard faster, and solve problems quicker. 

Benefits for GCC Productivity 

The repositories provide an easier way to access and share information. This makes it easier for teams to collaborate while making a tangible difference in how GCCs operate. Here is how they make a difference in productivity in GCC:  

• Streamlined Information Access and Reduced Search Time: Building a centralized knowledge repository minimizes the time employees spend searching for information. By consolidating both tacit and explicit knowledge, professionals in GCCs can efficiently access the data and processes they need.

• Improved Decision-Making: When the relevant information is easy to find, Global Capability Centers can act quickly and smartly. Centralized knowledge provides historical records of the progress made, not requiring employees to work from the beginning. It translates into reduced uncertainty as well. 

• Faster Onboarding and Training: New hires in GCCs can get up to speed much faster when comprehensive knowledge repositories are in place. They serve as a single source for company policies, product details, and team-specific workflows.

This contributes to the simplification of the onboarding and training processes. Quick integration of employees in the Global Capability Center environment ensures that they reach proficiency more quickly.

• Enhanced Collaboration and Reduced Silos: Creating a shared space for teams to share knowledge strengthens collaboration. This ensures operational consistency and keeps the parent company and the GCC aligned.

• Acceleration of Innovation and Problem-Solving: Repositories serve as a springboard for GCC innovation by offering a solid base for specialized knowledge. When teams look at historical insights to figure out what has been tried earlier and learn from others’ successful strategies, it becomes easier to try new ideas and iterate on the basis of past learning. 

• Cost Efficiency: GCCs can operate more efficiently when they leverage reduced search times, minimize errors, and utilize reusable assets. It ultimately brings down the overall costs.

Implementation of Best Practices 

For a GCC to truly benefit from a knowledge repository, leveraging the right tools is essential. However, for successful implementation, having the right mindset is equally crucial. When done right, an optimal knowledge management strategy can spark new ideas and GCC innovation. 

• Define Clear Objectives and Scope: Before embarking on implementation, GCCs need to define the purpose and goals of knowledge sharing.  GCCs can invest into knowledge sharing and repository building with the goal of enhancing productivity, preserving institutional expertise, accelerating onboarding, enabling collaboration across teams or many other similar reasons.

• Choose the Right Platform and Technologies: Considerations for selecting the right knowledge-sharing platform include ease of use, scalability, search functionality, integration capabilities with existing GCC systems, and robust security features. 

• Establish a Strong Governance Framework: Effective governance is essential for maintaining the quality, accuracy, and relevance of content within the repository.

Measuring Impact 

To truly understand the value and effectiveness of knowledge repositories within Global Capability Centers, it is crucial to establish clear metrics and consistently measure their impact.

Measuring the effect enables GCCs to demonstrate ROI, identify areas for improvement, and ensure the repository continuously supports strategic objectives. 

• Productivity and Efficiency Gains: Track the time employees spend searching for information before and after the implementation of the repository. A well-designed repository can significantly reduce this, freeing up time for higher-value tasks.

• Improved Decision-Making: Track the lead time for critical decisions that rely heavily on information available in the repository.

• Knowledge Sharing and Collaboration Metrics: Measure cross-functional access and contribution to content, indicating a breakdown of information silos.

To drive innovation and accelerate productivity via knowledge repositories, contact the ANSR team. With extensive experience in setting up GCCs, our experts can help you build an agile global team. Schedule a consultation today!