SUPPORT FUNCTIONS – Which organizational model to maximize added value for the company?

Point of view

by Olivier Paget, Patrick Sage, Olivier Saldana, and Cécilia Combey

At a glance

In the relentless race for competitiveness, support functions are usually relegated to mere cost centers, their primary directive becoming nothing more than rigorous cost reduction or outsourcing — a shortsighted view that often overlooks their potential for strategic value creation. In reality, they can turn out to be key drivers of effectiveness and overall company performance.

Far from mere back-office functions, departments like Human Resources, Finance, or Information Systems are the indispensable enablers of organizational effectiveness, providing the foundational infrastructure and critical tools that ensure seamless operations execution. They have three main roles:

• Strategy definition: providing direction & driving structural choices
• Transactional support: particularly saving time for operational teams
• Control: securing the application of laws and strategies.

Though not directly generating revenue, their ability to become true partners of operational teams is decisive in creating value for the company.

This article explores the right organizational choices that drive the value added and performance of support functions.

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