India’s GCCs: 7 Game-Changing Reasons Why They’re the Next Global Powerhouses

India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) have decisively shifted from back-office support roles to becoming vital strategic partners driving global innovation and decision-making. This transformation is fueled by India’s deep talent specialization, particularly in AI and emerging tech, coupled with a mature ecosystem extending into Tier-2 cities. Leading GCCs like Wayfair India are reinventing talent acquisition through AI tools and academic partnerships to find niche skills, while fostering continuous internal upskilling.

Crucially, they are breaking down functional silos, forming cross-functional squads focused on end-to-end product ownership and customer journeys to enable true leadership, not just execution. Overcoming the historical “execution centre” perception requires visible impact, strong local leadership, and direct global engagement. Intentional inclusion – embedded in recruitment, development, and retention – is now a strategic imperative for sustainable growth. Looking ahead, GCCs will lead in product innovation ownership, AI-led transformation, and adopting agile, borderless talent models. This evolution marks India’s GCCs not as followers, but as architects writing the global playbook from the boardroom.

India’s GCCs: 7 Game-Changing Reasons Why They’re the Next Global Powerhouses

For decades, India’s Global Capability Centres (GCCs) were synonymous with cost-effective execution – the reliable engine room powering global operations. Today, a profound shift is underway. As Mitalee Dabral, Country HR Leader at Wayfair India, articulates, India’s nearly 3,000 GCCs stand at an inflection point, rapidly evolving from support centres into strategic powerhouses driving global innovation and decision-making. 

Beyond Scale: The Ecosystem Driving Change 

The transformation isn’t accidental. Dabral highlights a powerful convergence: 

• Deep Specialization: Moving far beyond volume, India now offers profound expertise across industries and cutting-edge tech domains like AI, ML, and data engineering. 

• Tier-2 Momentum: Cities beyond traditional hubs are emerging, offering talent pools with lower attrition, affordability, and growing capabilities. 

• Mature Support: A sophisticated ecosystem of service providers, efficient talent models, and collaborative practices fuels innovation and strategic contribution. 

Redefining Talent: AI, Agility, and Ownership 

The pivot to strategy starts with reimagining talent: 

• AI-First Sourcing: Wayfair leverages AI tools, virtual assessments, and hackathons to identify niche skills beyond traditional CVs, tapping unconventional talent pools. 

• Pipeline Shaping: Proactive partnerships with academia and tech communities co-create learning paths, ensuring a future-ready talent stream. 

• Continuous Upskilling: Learning is embedded in the workflow through structured programs, mentorship, and certifications, essential in a high-change environment. 

Breaking Silos, Building Leaders 

A critical structural shift is dismantling functional silos: 

• Cross-Functional Squads: Teams are organized around customer journeys and products, not departments, enabling end-to-end ownership. 

• Strategic CoEs: Centres of Excellence (e.g., Data Science, Cybersecurity) become global knowledge hubs, driving innovation while ensuring local impact and autonomy. “Organisations must design for agility,” Dabral emphasizes. 

• Overcoming the Perception Gap: Shifting from “executors” to “co-creators” required demonstrable ownership, sustained delivery, and visible leadership. Wayfair fostered direct global engagement and strong local leadership to build credibility through impact. 

Inclusion: The Strategic Imperative, Not a Checkbox 

As GCCs scale, intentional inclusion is vital: 

• Embedded, Not Add-On: Diversity metrics are tracked throughout the recruitment funnel, not just at the hiring stage. 

• Proactive Engagement: Senior leader outreach (e.g., women leaders connecting with candidates) significantly boosts conversion and belonging. 

• Targeted Support: Programs like returnships for career re-entry and ERGs (e.g., Women in Tech) provide mentorship, community, and pathways to leadership. 

The Future: Writing the Playbook 

Dabral identifies three transformative trends for Indian GCCs: 

• Product & Innovation Ownership: GCCs are becoming R&D hubs, owning the full product lifecycle – from ideation and CX design to deployment. “It’s no longer about following playbooks; it’s about writing them,” Dabral states. 

• AI-Led Transformation: GCCs will operationalize AI/automation at scale, demanding literacy beyond coding – encompassing ethics, governance, and strategic deployment. 

• Agile & Borderless Talent: Rigid hierarchies will give way to fluid models: gig work, internal marketplaces, hybrid autonomy. Continuous learning becomes the core currency, and leadership is defined by adaptability. 

The Blueprint for the Future GCC 

If rebuilding from scratch, Dabral prioritizes: 

• Fluid Careers: Moving beyond rigid, linear progression. 

• Cross-Functional by Design: Embedding collaboration in the organizational DNA. 

• Embedded Learning: Making skill development intrinsic to daily work. 

• Empowered Leadership: Equipping managers to drive change, foster inclusion, and build resilience. 

The Takeaway: A Seat at the Strategy Table 

India’s GCC journey reflects a broader narrative: the nation’s ascent as a global strategic partner. The combination of deep talent, technological prowess, and evolving operating models positions Indian teams not just to execute global mandates, but to conceive, lead, and own them. The inflection point is here, marking the transition from being a capable executor to an indispensable strategic architect within the global enterprise. The back office has unequivocally moved to the boardroom.