Implementing Shared Services in the Public Sector: Lessons for Success

As productivity, transparency and accountability become watchwords in public sector environments, leaders are turning to business models that can help them gain cost efficiency in their administrative processes and improve internal service delivery. This briefing looks at how they are consolidating similar processes into stand-alone entities and applying enterprise-wide technology to upgrade the effectiveness of their delivery of internal services. Issues such as changes in how work gets done, an increased focus on client service excellence and new accountability arrangements mean that the emphasis is on governance and people issues. This briefing provides insights on the lessons to be learned from implementing this kind of change. In the long run, the sustainability of shared services will come from leaders’ ability to link this change to the larger reforms of government, while delivering on the promise of better service delivery.