Sharing to improve services: an exploratory study of shared service centre capabilities

Despite the increasing attention shared services (SS) has received in the literature, very little research has explained the role of SS resources and capabilities in the achievement of SS goals. Using data collected at three Shared Service Centres (SSCs), this research addresses this gap and identifies specific human, organisational and technology resources, which were not available prior to SS. Additionally, ten SS capabilities are identified in four different categories: service delivery, relationship, transformation and knowledge management. Some capabilities seem to be related with certain goals, what may support managers in recognising the capabilities they should develop to achieve their goals.