Signal 84% plan to widen shared-services scope within two years, led by innovation and analytics

Summary

McKinsey's 2026 survey shows strong intent to broaden what shared-services centers do. Eighty-four percent of organizations plan to expand the scope of these centers within the next one to two years. The most common additions are innovation or transformation work, planned by 30 percent, and analytics, planned by 27 percent. Motivations vary, with efficiency-focused leaders, 62 percent, aiming to cut costs, while growth-focused leaders, 54 percent, prioritize scalability and technology adoption. Yet more than 40 percent have not begun systematically adopting the technologies such an expansion requires.