Designing governance for shared services organizations in the public service

As shared services organizations (SSO) become more popular as a service management and delivery option in government, properly defining and setting up the governance structure continues to be a key success factor. This paper explores the options and issues to consider when selecting and implementing shared services governance including topics such as oversight, accountability, culture, management of resources, and of day-to-day operations. Shared services organizations are increasingly common in private sector companies and the particular challenges involved in the governance of an SSO in a public service context are highlighted and discussed.