In the sixth edition of its corporate headquarters survey, Roland Berger Strategy Consultants unveils five ways how outstanding headquarters add value, going beyond the traditional focus on cost and efficiency. The study rounds out the findings with an action plan to address the parenting advantage paradox, in which headquarters are expected to reduce costs while adding more value.
Roland Berger Strategy Consultants conducted its first corporate headquarters study in 1999. Since then, the study has gone beyond the standard benchmarking analyses and focused on specific issues that concern modern corporate headquarters. Increasingly complex business environments are creating fresh challenges for corporate headquarters and therefore require new approaches to value creation.
Below are some of the compelling findings from this year's corporate headquarters study:
Corporate headquarters face the challenge of the parenting advantage paradox, namely, they are expected to achieve more with less
A geographical shift among headquarters is unlikely to happen in the near future
Corporate headquarters are expected to perform the role of Manager (40%) and Law Guardian (25%)
Virtual collaboration is increasingly important
Decentralized support functions have spawned new challenges