How CoEs are the Key to Competitive Edge in Modern Enterprises

5 min readNov 3, 2023

According to a Gartner® CEO Survey, the top priorities for CEOs and other C-Suite executives encompass growth (overall expansion and scaling), technology advancement (digitalization, e-commerce, and cybersecurity), workforce management, and corporate strategy (M&A, strategy refresh, and restructuring).

Rising inflation, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and shifts in consumer behavior are other high-impact events that executives are currently prioritizing their attention toward. Notably, the emphasis on “workforce” has seen a substantial 32% increase in the rankings of priorities since 2020.

To effectively address these challenges, executives recognize the need for “innovative human capital management.” They understand the importance of having ready access to expertise and the need to adopt an agile and strategic approach to talent acquisition and skill set deployment. An effective way to accomplish this is by establishing a center of excellence (CoE).

What is a Center of Excellence (CoE)?

A Center of Excellence (CoE) is a specialized group with a shared area of focus and subject matter expertise that they use to assist others by providing insights, training, and research. They often standardize best practices for widespread use within a company.

According to Gartner, a center of excellence is

“A physical or virtual center of knowledge concentrating existing expertise and resources in a discipline or capability to attain and sustain world-class performance and value.”

This typically includes key internal stakeholders, internal or external SMEs, and the employees responsible for implementing tasks.

In the technology industry, establishing a CoE is crucial for CTOs. It provides a structured approach to introducing and integrating new technologies within an organization, ultimately leading to improved business outcomes and stronger customer relationships.

Types of Centers of Excellence

There are different types of centers of excellence (CoE) — tailored to your needs; you can establish one for any department or business unit.

Here are some common types of CoEs:

IT CoE: This CoE focuses on IT-related functions within an organization. It may include software development, infrastructure management, cybersecurity, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain.
Data Analytics CoE: This CoE is dedicated to data-related functions such as data analysis, business intelligence, data visualization, and data governance. It plays a crucial role in deriving insights from large volumes of data.
Finance CoE: It focuses on management, reporting, compliance, and optimization of financial processes. This CoE often deals with financial planning and analysis (FP&A), accounting, and financial systems.
Supply Chain CoE: This CoE is responsible for optimizing supply chain operations, including logistics, procurement, inventory management, and demand forecasting.
Regulatory Compliance CoE: It ensures that an organization adheres to relevant industry regulations and compliance standards. This CoE is particularly crucial in industries with strict regulatory requirements.
Change Management CoE: This CoE is responsible for managing organizational change initiatives ensuring that employees adapt effectively to new processes, technologies, or strategies.
Sustainability CoE: This CoE focuses on sustainable business practices, including environmental conservation, resource efficiency, and corporate social responsibility.

Globally, these are acknowledged for their ability to deliver the desired business impact:

Remember that the specific types and roles of CoEs may shift with time.

How Do CoEs Drive Value for Modern Enterprises?

Organizations strive to establish their centers of excellence to accomplish one or more of the following objectives:

Run the Business: COEs focus on optimizing enterprise operations, reducing transactional expenses, and driving well-informed decision-making at the operational level.
Grow the Business: This involves growing enterprise competitiveness and operational capabilities, as well as streamlining external service delivery.
Transform the Business: COEs function as an innovation hub, driving core business transformation through innovative yet practical solutions while maintaining strategic coherence across the organization.

Why Do Businesses Set Up a Center of Excellence

Organizations often establish Centers of Excellence (CoEs) during their tenure to enhance understanding in particular focus areas by either:

For instance, a company might establish a CoE for business intelligence to gain insights into products, customers, and market initiatives. The goal is to research best practices, help implement, and maximize the benefits of new strategies.

Similarly, a company might set up a CoE when adopting new accounting software. The aim would be to find the best software, support implementation, and provide employee training.

As you set out on the path to excellence, one crucial consideration is the journey towards maturity. COEs are designed to be adaptable and pragmatic, and there’s no need to build them in one go. Instead, building them organically and gradually as they run in dynamic and transformational environments is recommended.

The formation and size of a COE varies depending on the organizational context, i.e., their excellence agenda. The foundational elements of COEs include:

Benefits of Setting Up a Center of Excellence

Understanding the advantages of establishing a CoE is crucial before venturing into the implementation steps. Here are the key benefits:

Delivery of Results Quickly: CoEs eliminate bottlenecks by increasing the speed of delivery, development, and maintenance of critical business operations.
Cost Optimization: By simplifying processes, creating reusable assets, and reducing redundancy, CoEs eliminate inefficiencies, leading to cost savings.
Enhanced Quality of Products & Services: CoEs standardize best practices, ensuring uniformity in service and product delivery, resulting in seamless end-to-end customer experiences.
Access to the Right Expertise at the Right Time: CoEs facilitate easy access to the right expertise within the organization, precisely when needed.
Efficient Resource Utilization: CoEs centralize high-demand capabilities like knowledge, skills, and experience, ensuring wider access and efficient utilization across the organization.

What’s Next?

Establishing a COE helps organizations break down silos and cultivate champions who foster a collaborative culture of mutual learning.

Remember that there is no one solution that fits all organizations. The COE design should align with the organization’s maturity, mandate, and specific goals.

With the help of TechBlocks, the transition would be smoother. Our team of experts has helped many brands significantly grow their businesses and generate revenues.

For instance, we powered the exponential growth of digitally native brands like Giftagram with agile engineering and rapid development of core platform features and integrations with leading ERP, CRM, and HCM platforms, enabling them to onboard clients like Deloitte, Meta, and Spotify quickly.

“ Techblocks has been an extension of our team for a number of years, not only providing engineering and IT support to our team but has been a partner we can turn to for strategic business advice. TechBlocks brings over 15 years of cloud engineering experience and numerous centers of excellence that we can leverage to enhance our platforms and go-to-market strategies quickly, without having to design or develop from the ground up.”
— Jason Reid, Co-founder & CEO at Giftagram.

Powering Exponential Growth for Digitally Native Vertical Brands (DNVB) like Giftagram — YouTube

Schedule a call with TechBlocks today to receive more information about high-tech solutions that lead you directly to success. In short, our goal is your goal!

Originally published at https://tblocks.com on November 3, 2023.