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The Corporate Shaman

By Misha Goussev, November 2004

Previously published in The Wharton Journal with a title

“A Bridge Between the Business and Spiritual Worlds”

The reputation and clout of the Wharton School of Business spread far beyond its hometown of Philadelphia. In fact, it is world famous. This finance powerhouse and management think-tank is known to produce experts of the finest quality due to its cutting edge research, technology, and world class faculty in virtually all areas of business. Corporate empires reserve a special place for the graduates of this fine institution, expecting them to bring in almost magical powers and superhuman skills in return for top salaries and sign-up bonuses. It is not surprising, then, that the main hero of a business saga The Corporate Shaman by Richard Whiteley is a Wharton graduate. As the reader might expect, Jason, the hero, saves his client, an established corporation, from financial collapse. What does come as a surprise, however, are the methodology and techniques employed by Jason to achieve his objectives—Shamanism—the ancient tradition that dates back many thousands of years.

Before embarking on the topic of shamanism, which might be a new word for many readers, let us first take a deeper look at Jason’s life. In many ways, Jason is a success story. A talented businessman, he has fulfilled the dream of many, but the reality of a few—he co-founded a company on a shoestring, out of a garage, and grew it into a multi-million dollar international corporation. However, this dramatic success does not come free. A heart attack in his mid-40s and a divorce force him to face the rather common mid-life crisis question, “What’s next?” In addition, Jason feels deep disappointment with the way the business culture has gradually evolved from that of family-like bonding and support to a “dog eat dog” environment, where behind the formal smiles, one can often find chilling indifference and concern solely for one’s personal well-being. Passion for the future of the company and personal pride in the success of the business are being effectively replaced by the computer-like logic of the corporate machine, which seems to have a mind of its own. Jason begins to feel that something is fundamentally lacking in his world or that perhaps it has simply been lost. The search for the answers to this dilemma turns into a life journey on the path of personal development and self-realization with shamanism at its core.

The word shaman is a Siberian word for “one who sees in the dark.” It refers to healers who, for over 40,000 years, have entered altered states of mind at will and journeyed to other worlds using the power, wisdom, and energies of those worlds to create positive change in people and the environments that they inhabit.”[i] Traditionally, one of the main goals of a shaman has always been to heal either an individual or the entire community or tribe in two possible ways: by either retrieving an essential part of the client that has been figuratively lost (soul retrieval) or by extracting a foreign entity or energy that caused disease and lack of balance. However, the role and responsibilities of a shaman have always been very complex and multifaceted and have often gone far beyond traditional healing.

Therefore, how can this pre-historic and, in a way, fantastic form of “problem-solving” help modern corporations equipped with the most innovative technologies and groundbreaking business techniques? What kind of value can shamanism bring to modern communities, for that matter? Before delving into this topic, let us pose an esoteric question that might give us a hint and some direction: does a company have a soul? We frequently use the intangible concepts of the soul and spirit metaphorically, almost on a daily basis, when we say that something touched our souls or refer to the team spirit or even spirit of a nation and its people. We also often talk about corporate culture and acknowledge that each organization can be unique in that regard. Therefore, it can be argued that both the organizational culture and its spirit play critical roles in shaping the organization’s identity and possibly its financial future and prosperity. Perhaps a lack of loyalty, inner harmony, and balance among employees are the first signs of the decay of an organization, which has lost its spirit, or maybe, the soul. In this context, the ancient shamanic practices might provide valuable insights and even tools to help deal with this problem.

Jason’s client, an established mid-size corporation, is caught in a crisis, which is perhaps recognizable to the management of many other companies. Originally functioning as a well-balanced organization with healthy profits and growing sales, the company gradually begins to lose its edge as well as its competitive position, despite the strong economy and booming industry. The CEO of the firm, without realizing that he himself could potentially be the cause of the downturn, begins pointing fingers at his executives, which only further exacerbates the situation. Some of the best talents begin to leave the firm and the company’s future, which only recently was promising and bright, starts to look grim. Given the healthy external conditions, it is reasonable to assume that perhaps the problems the company faces are internal in nature—speaking in the language of shamanism—the company has lost its spirit. To make a long story short, Jason, a Wharton educated business consultant and shaman in disguise, has been very skillful in helping the company retrieve its original spirit via the use of shamanic healing ceremonies. It sounds rather unbelievable and spooky. Is there even a fraction of reality behind this seemingly fantastic fable? Perhaps we can learn a little about the author of this work and take a look behind the scenes of his creation.

Mr. Whiteley’s professional career was stellar. He co-founded one of the largest consulting firms in the field of leadership development and organizational behavior, The Forum Corporation[ii], on an initial investment of a few thousand dollars, only to sell it 30 years later for $90 million. I found it important to mention the monetary value of the financial success here not from the perspective of the material gain, but rather to acknowledge Mr. Whiteley’s credentials and true mastery in the business world. After all, the bottom line has always been one of the most important criteria for success in this field.

Richard Whiteley’s life, as successful as it is, presents its own challenges and questions. Having acquired wealth and social status, he realizes that his ultimate mission in life is to do much more. He feels that his calling is to leverage his skills and talents to help bring the spirit back to business and the corporate community. This realization and its practical applications do not come overnight; they result from many years of personal development practice and inner growth.

Thus, what is it about shamanism that makes it the tool of choice to tackle contemporary business problems from the perspective of an accomplished western businessman? Here are some of the thoughts and insights that Richard Whiteley shared with me during our conversation.

First of all, just as in business, shamanism is very customer and results oriented. The main function of a shaman has always been to undertake spirit journeys on behalf of other individuals and communities. The clients are generally the ones who decide whether the shaman will stay “in business” and is worthy of his title. Only if he is able to produce tangible results and help solve real problems will the shaman be nominated for this privileged role.

Second of all, shamanism is not a religion. In fact, even the term spiritual tradition should be used with care in relation to shamanism. Shamanism is pre-historic, and unlike most religions, is based on the direct personal experience of communication with alternative realms of consciousness and existence. While many shamanic methodologies and rituals can be taught and transmitted from generation to generation, the interpretation of each event, experience, and result is a matter of personal belief and understanding.

How does it work and does one have to believe in spirits in order to benefit from shamanic methods? The answer is, “it depends.” As Richard Whitely points out, in his experience, 100% success comprises 70% of the work and effort done by the client himself, 10% on the part of the shaman, and 20% from the help of the spirit. Therefore, the client must believe in something or at least to be open to the possibility of the supernatural and miraculous entering his life. However, it can be argued that our interest in the supernatural and the mysterious is not a rare quality, but rather, a universal need, similar to the need for water or shelter.

The interest in ancient wisdom traditions such as shamanism and their potential applications in the workplace and corporate world appear to be part of a more widespread phenomenon than one might think initially. As Professor Ian Mitroff of USC Marshall School of Business says, “Spirituality could be the ultimate competitive advantage (as long as there is no bully-pulpit promotion of traditional religion).”[iii] A study conducted by McKinsey of Australia reported that when companies conduct programs that utilize spiritual techniques for their employees, productivity improves and turnover is greatly reduced. Essentially, spiritually-centered practices are manifestations of a wider trend that many organizations attempt to follow in their own ways, that is, to go beyond the bottom line and create a culture that promotes company loyalty, employee bonding, team spirit, and ultimate workspace satisfaction. The following research shows that companies that use high involvement techniques outperform traditional hierarchical command and control organizations on key business indicators: (a) 160% more growth in sales, (b) 400% more growth in profits, (c) $15,000 to $60,000 greater market value per employee, (d) 200% more patents, (e) 500% revenue, 800% earnings, 1,200% stock growth, and (f) 700% more income growth.[iv] It is not surprising or interesting, then, that “the oldest and most consistent use of this powerful tool [shamanism] in modern time has been in the higher levels of the business world. This is probably because the upper level business person, like the shaman, is vitally concerned with what works.”[v]

Perhaps I will not be too far off if I compare Richard Whiteley’s main character Jason in his book The Corporate Shaman with himself and his own life story. An MBA graduate of the Harvard Business School and a very successful businessman, Richard dedicates his life energy and passion to help bring the spirit and soul back to the business community. His personal success and dedication constitute the best testimony to the practicality of his beliefs, life’s work, and vision. In his own words, Richard does not intend to promote shamanism as the ultimate solution to life’s problems and challenges. Instead, his view on this subject reflects the fundamental concept of shamanism itself: use it if it works for you, and if it works, why question it? See for yourself. ▪