Every mid-sized business dreams of scaling with AI and expanded customer reach. But as recent shifts at giants like Hindustan Unilever and Accenture show us, structure and care models must evolve first — or you risk losing relevance even as you grow.
In India, HUL has just realigned its reporting structure under new CEO Priya Nair, giving her direct oversight over all local functions to reduce layers and accelerate decision-making. The Economic Times Meanwhile, Accenture is consolidating its multiple service lines (Strategy, Consulting, Technology, Operations) into a single Reinvention Services unit, aiming to deliver AI-empowered solutions faster. newsroom.accenture.com+2Channel Futures+2
These moves aren’t just corporate reshuffles — they’re signals that customer care, execution, and agility are now embedded in how organizations structure themselves.
What These Shifts Mean for Mid-Sized Firms
- Decision layers slow down impact. HUL’s dual reporting model created bottlenecks; the restructuring helps speed local responsiveness. The Economic Times
- Siloed capabilities hinder integrated delivery. Accenture merging its units is a response to the demand for seamless digital + consulting + tech experiences. Channel Futures+1
- Customer expectations are rising. In a world where AI promises instant responses, delays or disconnects in customer care are amplified.
As firms invest in AI, credit, or digital tools, many forget: technology without structure is like a powerful engine stuck in neutral.
A Strategic Path Forward
- Audit your current structure through the lens of care.
Does your reporting, decision flow, and accountability model respond quickly to customer signals? - Integrate your customer functions.
Instead of letting marketing, support, and operations live in silos, create cross-functional nodes that own the end-to-end experience. - Embed agility in leadership layers.
Empower local or domain leaders to make customer-centric decisions, especially for digital or product pivots. - Design for hybrid automation + human experiences.
When AI takes over routine tasks, humans should be ready upstream — not downstream — to step in empathetically.
Stratants’ Perspective
These shifts at HUL and Accenture illustrate a new reality: growth cannot outpace structure.
At Stratants, we partner with business owners and leadership teams to:
- Diagnose structural bottlenecks
- Reimagine workflows aligned to customer care
- Co-create roadmaps where AI, leadership, and structure converge
Because scaling without structure is risk; structure without care is empty.
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