ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a case study of Royal Bank of Scotland Group (RBSG) to summarize some of the ways in which it is trying to avoid being seen as an 'expense', but one which adds value to the business. With the benefit of hindsight, the case study is summarized into five key stages: building the change programme, current state assessment, high-level design, implementation and recent events. The base case assessment, frequently known in consulting circles as the 'as is' could be categorized into five key tenets: customer, cost, quality, capability and technology. Having created the 'as is' basis for change, good consultants will now advise that the 'to be' has to be determined. The chapter documents how RBS HR designed it 'to be' across six key areas: structure, make or buy, customer fit, processes, roles and accountabilities, and monitoring and reporting. There are some specific implementation issues to consider within the shared services function, namely: communication, resourcing, training/education and pilot/phasing.
