Across the GCC, many support functions face a common challenge – they are often viewed as operational cost centres rather than as enablers of strategic goals. Rami Fattal, Director at Knowledge Group Consulting, explains how leaders can reposition their support departments as strategic partners by focusing on operational excellence and capability building.
Support functions, including administration, procurement, finance, HR, logistics, and facilities management, play a vital role in the smooth operation of organisations. By providing essential services and resources required for day-to-day activities, they ensure that operations run efficiently, enabling core business areas to concentrate on their strategic goals.
Yet, across the GCC, many organisations still struggle to unlock the full potential of their support functions. Several factors contribute to this, including inefficient processes, a stronger focus on compliance rather than contribution, and gaps in interdepartmental coordination – all of which lead to inefficiencies.
As a result, several issues continue to hamper the effectiveness of support functions:
Duplication of efforts between departments is a common occurrence.
Response times to internal stakeholders remain slow.
Data-driven decision-making is limited, and productivity targets are unclear.
Operational Excellence and Capability Building
Organisations that succeed in professionalising their support functions stand out in two key domains: they achieve high levels of operational excellence and reinforce them through a culture of continuous improvement – realised through capability building.
Achieving such a shift requires investment in efficient processes and ways of working, combined with focused capability-building initiatives. This should include not only training on procedures and process optimisation, but also on collaboration and internal customer service.
A modern operational excellence training journey for support services develops:
Process Mindset: Teaching teams to identify, map, and improve workflows.
Service Orientation: Embedding customer-centric behaviours, even in internal operations.
Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Breaking silos between HR, procurement, finance, and administration.
Performance Metrics: Linking departmental goals to enterprise KPIs and national quality frameworks.
Continuous Improvement Culture: Encouraging every employee to see themselves as a contributor to efficiency, not just an executor.
Programmes that integrate these areas align perfectly with the UAE’s Government Excellence Model (GEM 2.0) and Abu Dhabi’s ADAEP, both of which emphasise integration, agility, and citizen-centred service delivery.
How Knowledge Group Consulting Supports
At Knowledge Group Consulting, we have been supporting organisations across the UAE and GCC in professionalising their support services across multiple sectors – from government and education to energy and defence. Our unique approach integrates:
Applied Learning
Simulation labs and real case scenarios in areas such as procurement workflows, HR service requests, and document management.
Behavioural Excellence
Modules on accountability, communication, and problem-solving that drive ownership at all levels.
Process & Performance Tools
Practical frameworks (Lean principles, service blueprints, KPI dashboards) adapted for government contexts.
Alignment to Excellence Models
Each module aligns with GEM 2.0, ADAEP, and international frameworks, including ISO 9001 and EFQM.
By combining technical training with a service excellence culture, Knowledge Group Consulting helps support departments shift from a reactive to a proactive approach, transforming them from functional executors into strategic business enablers.
Conclusion
The organisations that will lead the next decade of transformation in the UAE and GCC will not be those with the most significant budgets, but those where support departments operate with efficiency, precision, added value, integration, and purpose.
Sourced from Consultancy-me.com