Work the way you liveDeloitte Shared Services Conference 2019

Shared services career paths: where to next?Deborah Kops, Sourcing Change

What we’ll do today

Understand career personae

Patterns and decisions that position and prepare us for the next career step

Think about ourselves and our career options

What patterns mean for us personally

Become sufficiently inspired to see our careers differently

Planning and taking ownership is key

Plusses of a shared services career

Increasing a path to career satisfaction andgrowth

Great place to launch a career and pick up arange of capabilities required in the face ofdisruption

Influence of shared services/GBS in large organizations slowly advancing, sometimes creating a career launchpad

More and more often seen as an enterprise talent taproot

Blurring lines between shared services and the rest of the business/other businesses creating opportunity

But some challenges…

Sometimes blocked from advancement as function undervalued or positioned as factory

Model affected by CXO changes that impact opportunity

Can be managed under different talent paradigms—rewards and recognition not the same as the enterprise

Subject to “Do me a favor” or parking lot placements

Historical focus on cost and efficiency rather than transformation giving professionals a weak brand

So managing a shared services career must not be left to happenstance…

Takes 4 to 6 years of effort to position a career effectively

careers don’t “happen,’’ are planned and deliberately evolve

Shared services careers now at a crossroads

are steppingstone or graveyard of ambition if right steps not taken

No one size fits all

each path complex and individual

Certain factors can be directive or limiting

tenure, risk profile, interests, luck…

Introducing the shared services persona model

About the shared services career persona survey

Trends identified through over 300 survey responses/45 Deloitte

Tested through career profiling

and interviews

36 questions

All in confidence

Four primary personae ratified

Three caveats before we begin the discussion

Personae evolve over time; just because your are an x today

doesn’t mean you are stuck1.

Persona do not take into the implications of luck and corporate

events2.

The model should be seen as predictive/indicative only; based

upon patterns but not absolute3.

What feeds into your shared services career persona?

Preferences

Demographics

Capabilities

Brand

Career evolution

Ambition

Tolerance for risk

Mobility

It’s complicated

Age Your personal brand

Organization you’ve come from

Where you thrive

Whom you know

What you like/don’t like about shared services

Tenure in company

How often you change companies

Base of operations

How your shared services role evolved over time

Mandate for shared services in your organization

Tolerance for career risk

How you manage your profile

Experience working globally

Comfort working virtually

The shared services brands you’ve been associated with

How you entered shared services

How you see yourself

Ambition

How much structure you like

Why you took a shared services role

Thought leadership

How you view shared services as a career steppingstone

Shared services footprint

Gender

Scope of your shared services organization

Digital savviness

Scope of your shared services organization

Tenure in shared services role

Your positioning

Four primary personaeR

ang

e o

f ski

lls

Risk Tolerance

EXPERT

LEADER

ADAPTER

INTERPRETER

EXPERT

Stays put in same company Thrives in stable, mature

enterprises

Prefers defined roles and hierarchies

Limited experience working globally

Deep expertise in one function/ one tower

Prefers coming to office everyday

Often early in career

Can’t see any difference between shared services and retained

Obsessed with driving down cost/eliminate wasteLooks to deepen

skill sets

Seeks long term job security

Generally high level of career satisfaction

Not aggressively creating personal brand

Networks within company

LEADER

Limited experience in other companies

Seen as reliable pair of hands

Came up the SSC or functional ranks

Learning how to/can work globally

Often comes from retained function/ tagged in

Multi-functional experience

Scope and geo responsibility grown over time

Wants to “leverage up” role

Good at running “stuff”

Can switch jobs if stable company

Likes objectives and tools

Strongly identifies with brand of company

Known to industry or company peers

Large LinkedIn network

Good people skills

ADAPTER

Looks to change orgs every 3-5 years

Prefers small, agile orgs whatever the context

Likes working across cultures

Business generalist

Career path in and out of shared services

Methodical approach to career

Multi-functional focus

Takes some career risk

Tenured careerCultivates critical meaningful

relationships

Perceived as someone who is adaptable

Capability thought leadership profile

Knows folk in many industries

Some digital footprint

INTERPRETER

TransformerChanges jobs both according to

plan and on a whim

Likes high growth organizations/ high ambiguity

Globalist

GBS or big role experience

Seen as innovator

Always learning/short attention span

Thirsty to do something different

Longish career

Risk taker

Thrives on chaos

Google ranking

Network outside of shared services

Has a personal brand

Known for range of capabilities

Now that you’ve seen the shared services career persona, what best approximates who you are today?

a. Expert b. Leader c. Adapter d. Interpreter

What does the data tell us?

Who answered the conferencesurvey?

MATURE—average age 41-54

BIG COMPANY BRANDS-67% over $1 bn

GLOBAL-ISH FOOTPRINT 40%

STAY PUT—26% only 1 company; 50% 2-3

VALUE CREATORS NOT COST CUTTERS—64%

NOT YET GBS--only 4%; primarily mulit-funcitional

LIKE JOB—44%

“VOLUNTOLD”—33% from the business ENTERPRISE ROLES—84%

CHANGE AGENTS—31% see self as transformers

NOT VETERANS—44% 1-5 years

First, a look at who you are in aggregate…pretty amazing distribution

OVERALLOverall

Career, preferences, aspiration aren’t in synch

OVERALL

ORGANISATION

CAREERPREFERENCES

AMBITION

BRAND

Career patterns and ambition diametrically opposed; prefer to be an adapter

Overall

Ambition

BrandOrganization

CareerPreferences

Now let’s look at the population as a whole

Shared services career stability

Mid career (70% age 41 and up) with over 50% involved in shared services over 5 years; over 35% in same organization

Prefers to stay in same company (35%) but would change if opportunities present themselves

Generally happy with caveats

Approximately 50% like shared services role

35% believe blocked from advancement

20% blocked from making transformational change.

Entry into shared services as loyalists

“Voluntold” (40%) or elected a shared services career (28%), usually from within the same company

Careers evolving in situ Change shared services roles

internally at regular intervals (37%) with growing scope (29%)

Believe proving capable (62%) best career strategy

Key to career growth is learning new things (52%)

Not actively managing careers

Change jobs opportunistically (40%); 50% want to leverage current skills; only 5% have a plan

Will move if presented with an attractive role but expect to stay in shared services (41%)

Few (5%) planning to “escape” shared services although North Americans more likely

Want to be seen as a transformer but…

40% see self as change agent; leadership capabilities not as prominent (37%)

Problem solving highest skill (57%)

Like clean slates (40%) or objectives (42%), not prescriptive

Have space to innovate (50%) but 40% believe blocked from advancement

Adverse to much career risk

Half would move into other roles (opportunistically) with a medium tolerance for risk (42%)

35% want to stay in a shared services career

Medium tolerance

42%

Personal brand subsumed by company brand

Over 50% identify primarily with corporate brand but over 60% now starting to create own personal brand

50% have no digital footprint

Few (70%) have a personal thought leadership brand or just starting to work on one

So what is the aggregate shared services persona?

Moderate risk taker

Generally content in shared services/see strong career opportunity/will do something different if presented

Thirsty to learn new things but likes objectives

Careers built on expertise

Company and personal brand largely synonymous

Land and expand approach to career

Networking but not creating a thought leadership footprint

Embrace working globally and virtually

“Loyalist’—came fromthe business

Positioned as someone who gets things done

Sees self as transformer rather than leader

Don’t actively manage career

Focus on creating value through relationships

Interesting. What’s it to me?

Satisfying careers don’t happen; they are planned but allow for serendipity

While we’d like to think that all avenues are open to us, that’s not the case

No two career journeys are…or have to be alike

There are patterns to careers. Which one is best for you?

So you want to be an EXPERT

Go really deep in one or more towers

Embrace automation fast and figure out the whitespace

Be seen as critical to process not task performance

Seek opportunities to manage others

Develop a best in-class reputation for experience

Form strong relationships with business or retained team

Flaunt technical ability as your primary value

EXPERT career path

Accountant

Business analyst

Senior accountant

Global process owner

Accounting degree

Automation expert

So you want to be a LEADER

Leave specialism behind/ morph from specialist to management at

key inflection points

Move! Progress at regular 2+ year intervals

Actively network within the enterprise…and without

Become known to the business or head office

Take a leap outside your organization into another if advancement blocked

Develop a reputation as good at running stuff

Deepen people skills

Manager, FP&A

Group manager business transformation

Manager disbursement

Global head shared services

Manager A/R

Director supplier services

Director financial operations

Senior director business process optimization

Vice president shared services

LEADER career path

So you want to be an ADAPTER

Make friends outside of your organization

Focus on transformation, not delivery

Develop a strong digital footprint!

Be willing to trade off career and salary expectations to leap ahead

Take measured risks

Pick up a wide range of business skills

Don’t stay too long in shared services!

Consultant

Director of accounting

CEO BPO

Masters in accounting

VP shared services

Deputy controller, assistant treasurer

SVP global business services

ADAPTER career path

So you want to be an Interpreter

Save for your retirement

Speak, write, show up—become your own brand

Be generous with time and expertise

Keep doing 90 degree career turns

Be open to a portfolio life

Invest in meaningful relationships

Embrace career risk!

Jerry Springer aide

Real estate officer

Urban designer

Private equity

Architectural school

Architect

Real estate consultant

Real estate firm founder

Accounting firm partner

CAO/shared services

Bank sourcing leader

BPO CMO

INTERPRETER career path

What shared services career persona do you aspire to be in future?

What shared services career persona do you aspire to be in future?

a. Expert b. Leader c. Adapter d. Interpreter

Parting words

• Forge the right path. Become the

persona that’s right for you

• Prepare/prepare/prepare. Careers

evolve with planning

• Watch for similar patterns—in

others/career paths are generally

predictable

• Get a profile and strong,

meaningful relationships—best

way to get in the way of

opportunities

• Always learn and embrace shared

services career opportunities.

They are a great platform for career

growth

Good luck!!!

Want to know more about your shared services career persona?

Like the concept?

Contact: Deborah.kops@sourcingchange.com