Redesigning the corporate centre

The authors report the results of a recent large study of corporate centre transformation: a question which is often an early priority when a new chief executive takes office. This article summarises their approach to corporate centre design which maximises value creation.

Recognising that there are differences in the pattern of headquarters between countries, the authors base their recommendation for a corporate centre design process on three different rôles played by headquarter staff: mimimum corporate parent rôle, value-added parenting rôle, and shared services rôle. A case study of Burmah Castrol is described as an example of the method