Trust is essential to shared services success in higher education – and concerns about trust are often rooted in something more specific: control. Moving work into shared services changes perceptions of ownership, influence, and decision-making, even when service delivery remains consistent or improves. If those concerns are not addressed, institutions can struggle with adoption, stakeholder resistance, and ultimately realizing the full value of shared services.
ScottMadden has seen this dynamic repeatedly in our higher education work, and our 2025 Higher Education Shared Services Top Performer Study reinforced it: in interviews with shared services leaders from a diverse group of institutions, every participant discussed the importance of trust. Our research and client experience identify four interconnected practices for building and sustaining trust: transparency, governance and stakeholder engagement, relationships, and continuous change enablement. These practices provide a practical roadmap for higher education leaders implementing, improving, or expanding shared services.
COMMON BARRIERS TO TRUST DURING SHARED SERVICES IMPLEMENTATION
Early resistance often surfaced when stakeholders lacked clarity about what would change, how decisions were being made, or the value of the new model. Underneath much of this resistance was a perceived loss of control. Moving locally delivered functions into shared services changed reporting relationships – and with them, perceptions of ownership and influence – even when service delivery remained consistent or improved.
The vocalized resistance was that we don’t want shared services. But the root issue was we don’t want to lose control.
Even extensive communication did not always overcome these concerns:
We did 20 to 30 road shows where we talked about the service center, but [leaders] still didn’t understand the service center. Why do we need you guys? What are you going to do?
Higher education culture can amplify these concerns. Departments often view their processes and needs as unique and requiring specialized, local support, reinforcing concerns that a shared services model could mean losing both control and tailored support.
How Leading Institutions Build Trust
Leading organizations build trust through four interconnected practices: transparency, governance and stakeholder engagement, relationships, and continuous change enablement.
Building Trust through Transparency
Visibility into performance and outcomes helps shift stakeholder perceptions from anecdotes to evidence. A shared view of the service experience helps stakeholders move beyond assigning blame, identify root causes, and work together to improve outcomes.
Sharing relevant data – including both service measures and indicators of performance and outcomes – reinforced accountability and credibility, even when results revealed opportunities for improvement.
We were able to present data that … the delays are actually coming from upstream. [Managers and departments aren’t] submitting things [on time], and we can only process [work] as soon as we get it. It’s changed the narrative.
Building Trust through Governance and Stakeholder Engagement
For leading organizations, governance does not stop at implementation. Active governance creates ongoing channels for stakeholder input and decision-making, while keeping senior leaders visibly engaged in the model. Advisory councils and cross-campus groups give stakeholders a role in shaping solutions rather than simply presenting them with decisions already made.
In the past, our shared services organization saw its role as deciding, formulating, and then delivering a finished product. … Whereas I see our role as the connection point between the customer and the associate.
Sustaining these governance structures over time is equally important. Leaders noted that committees established during implementation could become less active, creating ambiguity around roles, decision-making, and process ownership. Continued executive sponsorship – particularly from chancellors, presidents, and cabinet-level leaders – reinforces expectations, removes barriers, and signals that shared services remains an institutional priority.
Having an audience at the presidential level is not something that we’ve had until just recently. It has helped with engagement, change enablement, and getting people on board.
Building Trust through Relationships
Trust depends on staying connected. Nearly all leading organizations in the study described structured approaches to engagement, including feedback surveys, listening sessions, and recurring meetings with academic and administrative leaders.
I have to go out, and I have to listen. … Doesn’t matter what I uncover, I just have to know – good or bad – what people feel about how we’re showing up for them.
Beyond formal channels, leaders maintained broad networks of trusted relationships across the institution, including respected individuals who could surface concerns, provide candid feedback, and keep leaders connected to evolving stakeholder needs.
I make sure that I have one-to-one contact with people who have something to say about what’s happening. And to then evaluate … whether or not we can do what they’re asking. I reach out to them … It’s a lot of relationship development and maintenance.
Building Trust through Continuous Change Enablement
Leading organizations treat change enablement as an ongoing capability. Regular communication, expectation-setting, and support for new ways of working help stakeholders adapt as the shared services model evolves.
People don’t have time to change nowadays. So the big thing that we talk about is really explaining the why, telling the story, and backing it up with data.
Many institutions also invested in continuous improvement and skill development to help staff adapt to evolving technologies and service models over time.
Six Actions for Higher Education Leaders to Build Trust in Shared Services
Our research and client experience point to six practical actions:
Make trust an operational priority
Governance structures, communication strategies, and approaches to measuring performance and outcomes should all reinforce transparency and accountability.
Use data to demonstrate reliability
Sharing data on service performance and outcomes, as well as progress on improvement efforts, helps stakeholders understand how shared services is contributing value and where opportunities remain.
Leverage shared governance
Advisory councils and campus-wide forums give stakeholders a role in shaping decisions and ensure their ongoing feedback influences how the model evolves.
Keep executive sponsors engaged
Active involvement from senior leaders signals that shared services is an institutional priority, reinforces expectations for adoption, and helps remove barriers to success.
Maintain strong stakeholder networks
Build and sustain broad relationships across the institution, creating ongoing opportunities to gather feedback and respond as needs evolve.
Make change enablement continuous
Ongoing communication, expectation-setting, and support for new ways of working should be embedded in day-to-day operations to sustain adoption as the model evolves.
The Bottom Line
Trust is fundamental to how shared services in higher education is understood, adopted, and sustained. Building it requires attention to both how shared services performs and how stakeholders experience the model.
- Resistance is often about control. Concerns about ownership, influence, and decision-making can drive opposition to shared services, even when the model itself is not the primary concern.
- Transparency builds credibility. Visibility into performance and outcomes builds shared understanding, accountability, and trust.
- Governance and relationships give stakeholders a voice. A meaningful role in decision-making, visible executive sponsorship, and ongoing engagement build shared ownership and confidence.
- Change enablement sustains trust. Ongoing communication and listening reinforce stakeholder confidence as shared services evolves well beyond implementation.
Building trust in these ways creates the conditions for shared services to move beyond initial resistance and become an effective, trusted institutional capability. In higher education, where authority is distributed and the culture values collaboration, building trust is the strategy that makes success possible.
Ready to strengthen trust in your shared services model? ScottMadden helps higher education institutions design governance, engagement, and service delivery strategies that build credibility and deliver measurable results.
