Operational resilience playbooks for 2026: GCCs as global continuity command centers

Operational disruptions are no longer sequential; they arrive simultaneously and amplify one another. Whether it is geopolitical churn, evolving regulations, cyber incidents, or supply chain unpredictability, these are risks that demand resilience be built into the core of the organization to enable business continuity. 

Therefore, the new operational resilience playbook blends onshore command with offshore intelligence, positioning GCCs as always-on command centers that can ensure operational agility across geographies and time zones. With their enterprise-wide vantage point, deep technology stack, and direct line of sight into core functions, GCCs are becoming the hubs for continuity, steering businesses through uncertainty with an inside-out command of operations. 

The 8% Reality Check

GCCs were originally set up for efficiency and effectiveness. A recent BCG study indicates that only 8% of GCCs have moved into the league of fast, high-impact engines driving innovation, differentiation, and enterprise-wide resilience. The signal is clear: there is a significant headroom for GCCs to evolve from execution hubs into a strategic partner. The world no longer rewards organizations for merely “bouncing back.” The ones that hold ground are those that maintain momentum and stability amid constant flux. 

GCCs, therefore, are positioned at the intersection of risk, technology, compliance, operations, finance, and data, and are structurally built for this mandate.

From Delivery Hubs to “Continuity Command Posts”

Disruption rarely signals its arrival. A pre-dawn cyber incident, a regulatory change, or a supply chain breakdown, each demands instantaneous response. This is why GCCs must evolve from traditional delivery hubs into continuity command centers with real-time decision capability. Their proximity to processes and data allows them to detect stress points in time, enabling faster interventions. This agility shift is no longer optional; it is the new foundation of operational resilience.

AI Brings Resilience to Life

Continuity has traditionally been anchored in static documentation, including risk registers, impact assessments, and recovery workflows. But as organizations advance their use of AI and ML, the model is shifting. These technologies are already augmenting detection, escalation, and response to risks, moving continuity from a document-led practice to an intelligence-driven system. GCCs are at the center of this shift, operationalizing AI-enabled resilience.

AI is helping detect anomalies early across critical processes and forecast the likely failure points. This allows automated failover workflows to activate so that business operations continue with human supervision, not necessarily intervention. At the same time, leaders have real-time telemetry dashboards that offer global visibility into process performance, while AI agents trigger actions the moment thresholds are reached.

This outcome is an example of resilience where AI learns, adapts, predicts, and self-corrects before disruption turns into prolonged downtime. In this model, GCCs are not reacting to the world; they operate as real-time governance engines that keep global operations steady even when conditions are unstable.

By 2026, business continuity is expected to evolve into a hybrid, distributed, and always-on capability beyond just onshore or offshore operations. In this model, the enterprise headquarters can set guardrails and policy direction, and GCCs enable resilient operations and data-driven intelligence. 

Resilience is a Story of Renewal, Not a To-Do List

Technology can be the seed for resilience, but it cannot sustain it alone; only culture can. This is where many GCCs have to do the heavy lifting. They will be at the center of running realistic crisis simulations that test decision-making under pressure, creating clarity programs that help leaders decide faster, and conducting cross-disciplinary drills that break silos so teams operate as one. More importantly, they will build everyday risk literacy so teams develop instinct, not dependence on process, when navigating ambiguity. 

True resilience emerges when the mindset moves from “How do we respond when something breaks?” to “How do we ensure continuity even when something fails?” That shift defines how this ecosystem will navigate complexity and advance in the years ahead.

Anuj Khurana

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Anuj Khurana is Co-Founder and CEO at Anaptyss.