by Patrick Glynn 
Companies around the world are rethinking how and where work gets done. Previously, we have talked about how businesses are gaining confidence in and investing in talent from across the globe. Another huge shift over the last five years has been the rapid rise of Global Capability Centers (GCCs).
For decades, overseas operations were seen as more cost-effective solutions for back-of-house options. (Think call centers or other customer service entities.)
However, companies are investing in GCCs as innovation engines, fully controlled by the business and not by a third party.
“There’s a common dogma that services performed out of India and other locations are more operational in nature,” Lawrence Dearth, Insight Global’s President of Global Growth. “But we are seeing customers leverage deep talent pools to focus on innovation, from AI to R&D to software engineering, cybersecurity, and digital transformation. The services we are performing increasing in complexity. Those customers who are leveraging us to build out their centers are building teams akin to their Silicon Valley counterparts”
This gives the business greater control, deeper integration into their operations, and long-term scalability. Remote work and technological advancements have knocked down barriers to building, managing, and scaling global teams, too.
India remains the top destination for this transformation. According to a recent PwC report, over 150 new GCCs are expected to be established in India in the coming years, with value growth projected to reach 10%-15% by 2029. These centers are no longer just about cost. They are about innovation, capability, culture, and having competitive edge.
At Insight Global, we’ve helped clients build and scale GCCs, and we have built our own, too. So, let’s discuss four important factors that go into launching a GCC:
1. Align Company Culture with Local Values
Your company’s culture is your foundation, but it can’t be copy-pasted to every country, region, and culture across the world. To succeed, you need to translate your values into the local context.
That means rethinking how benefits, paid time off, and recognition programs are structured. It means understanding how leadership is perceived, how teams collaborate, and what motivates talent in that region.
What matters, and what doesn’t, to the people you’re hiring?
“It’s not about forcing an Americanized version of shared values,” Dearth says. “It’s about aligning with your talent partners to ensure those values are lived out in ways that resonate locally.”
At our GCC in India, candidates have told us that our company’s shared values and tailored, personal interview processes were key reasons they chose to join us over other offers. Culture matters. It’s not meant to be discarded when you go overseas. Find how your company’s culture works where you want to expand.
2. Rethink Interviewing and Onboarding
Similar to your company culture, you must adapt your hiring practices to local customs and laws. Interview formats, onboarding timelines, and communication styles all may have different expectations and requirements where you’re trying to build a GCC. What works in the U.S. may not work elsewhere.
However, there are some things that do translate globally. Transparency, empathy, and clarity at work are essential. Candidates want to know how they will grow, be supported, and connect with global teams.
This is where having a talent partner that knows the region you’re trying to expand to—and the talent available there—is important for successful growth internationally.
3. Define the GCC’s Role in the Business
Your GCC isn’t a vendor. It’s a strategic extension of your business that just so happens to be in a different time zone than your main operations.
To have a successful center, employees need to see how their work fits into the bigger company picture.
Use visual org charts, cross-functional meetings, and shared KPIs to show how teams, for example, in India collaborate with teams in the U.S. and other parts of the world. Show the team in India where it fits among the greater company org chart, too. Seeing what part of the business they’re impacting and regularly showing the impact the team have will turbocharge buy-in and success from your GCC.
4. Align Hiring with Business Growth
“Don’t wait until your GCC is fully built to start hiring,” Dearth encouraged leaders. “If you do, you’ll be 2–3 years behind where you need to be.”
Instead, build a strategic hiring roadmap. If you need to hire 200 people for your GCC at max capacity, plan out when those hires need to be made. Hire in waves. Start with senior leaders and operations experts who can lay the foundation for a successful GCC, then bring in individual contributors who can scale delivery as the GCC begins operations.
Knowing the need for strategic hiring over years when building a GCC, Insight Global uses a build-operate-transfer model to help clients launch and scale GCCs. In partnership with the client, we help staff the GCC until it begins operations, then we help manage the staff to make sure operations are running smoothly. Once that happens, we pass full ownership of operations over to the client.
This scaled hiring helps the GCC be built with speed and intention, leaving no wasted time for scaling to full operations and productivity.
The Future of GCCs Is Innovation-Led
The biggest companies in the world are already investing in GCCs, not just to save money, but to drive innovation. AI, digital transformation, and product development are increasingly being led from these hubs. However, building these GCCs must be done with intention, care, and creativity—all while maintaining best practices in the region you’re growing. For more information about building out global capability centers, view our capabilities in Asia, India, and the Pacific Islands, and connect with Lawrence Dearth on LinkedIn.
by Julia Koslowsky 
by Celine Pham 