Who is your Digital Shaman?

Sunday family breakfast can lead to many thoughts… My wife was explaining what the coming Swiss legislation was about to change in the naturopathy studies and approach. To keep it short, today naturopathy is a recognised profession based on a 5 years study cycle. Tomorrow, it will be restricted as a major within the study of medicine.
How could this medical discussion be related to digital, CDO and Shamanism? I know that my mind map explores many paths at the same time… but you will see there is a real link.

How the approach is essential

My wife had a very pertinent point of view based on an incompatible approach.
Indeed, occidental medicine focuses on the expressed symptoms to find the syndrome (in short, the illness). Then the doctor cures the identified syndrome.
Naturopathy follows a total different path. The global environment is examined in order to understand and relate the symptoms and to identify hidden symptoms (hidden because the patient is not focusing on them or because they are not, yet, disturbing the patient). The syndrome is then not what must be cured but reflects a more global and in-depth issue.
To summarise (and I do apologise to all the brilliant doctors all over the world for my naive shortcut), occidental medicine focuses on curing the apparent syndrome while some alternative medicine, such as naturopathy, seeks to cure the root causes.
Such a holistic approach takes time and must be combined with the classic medicines: there is no issue to cure a syndrome while working on the root causes.

My wife explained to me how ancient medicine (and more precisely Hippocrate’s original approach) was organised. With the lowest level being the specialist (i.e. specialised surgeons were at the bottom of the medical hierarchy as they were able to cure one, and only one, syndrome), the generalist in the middle (having a global analysis) and the Shaman being at the top (working on the spirit).

And during this sunny Sunday breakfast, I looked at my wife and started to explain that CDO, digital transformation and company issues were exactly the same. She was not too surprised since she knows how my brain can explore and escape in many ways… and she loves me.

IT specialist and surgery at the bottom

As with ancient medicine, highly specialised people cannot drive a a digital strategy.
You could have the best Mobile Technology guru or the best security specialist, he/she will never drive you on the digital transformation path.
These specialists and experts are, of course, key to support you but it would be inefficient to have them drive a company’s digital global vision, that can be so wide and heterogeneous. Indeed, an expert will always drive any discussion through his/her specialist point of view. Yet a digital strategy must embrace and align a wide variety of subjects to avoid taking on an unbalanced approach.

The expert looks at one symptom and tends to cure only the mono-symptom syndrome.
Difficulties start when the syndrome is related to several symptoms…
And syndromes not related to the expert’s symptom are ignored…

CTO is your doctor

Your CTO, as a generalist, is then your next level.
He/she connects many symptoms that occur simultaneously to identify and cure a syndrome. He uses the experts when needed and when relevant.
And as your CTO is a generalist, he/she has the capacity to manage many syndromes.
When the syndromes are getting to be too numerous? Can your company remain in a “one-by-one syndrome cure” approach?
When the body is not the only issue, can he/she take care of the mind, the environment?

The CTO is one of the most key partners in any digital transformation. Nevertheless, when it comes to a digital transformation, you will need to go beyond a pure technical approach, your company will need someone who can combine commercial and marketing strategy (the mind), technical requirements (the body) and change management (the spirit).

The CDO for holistic approach

The CDO must be the naturopath of his/her company.
By working with the CTO, marketing and the senior management, he/she not only connects the syndromes (the various elements that your company is missing for the digital era), he/she considers and evaluates the environment allowing him/her to have a more in-depth approach to establish an effective long-term transformation.
While finding short term solutions, the CDO works on longer term and wider initiatives to push the company ahead in the digital world.
In the ancient tribes, the CDO would have lead the village to organise its protection (IT), hunting (marketing), celebration (communications) and village wellness (HR).
But…

Who’s your Shaman?

The Shaman sees, hears and feels the invisible world thanks to their sensitivity and their knowledge of the invisible. He/she is not a priest, but by first communicating with the Universe he/she is able to keep the balance between humans and their environment.
The CEO sees, hears and drives the commercial strategy thanks to his/her proactivity and his/her market knowledge.
He/she is not absolute but understands and anticipates the ecosystem and is able to keep the balance between the company and its environment.

Your CEO, and his/her executive committee, are the company’s Shamans, especially for your Digital Transformation.
Feeling all the digital symptoms, they must have a global view and understanding of the tangible, abstract and invisible factors influencing a digital strategy.
Your company spirit comes from them. The best support for any digital transformation is to first have them transform themselves.
The CDO is there to feed and support these Shamans, they incarnate the spirit.

There has been much literature generated around top-down/bottom-up management, coDesign, leadership, innovation… And you can choose any methodology if it fits you and your company. All of them use different approaches, ways of working and should shake, at least a bit, your habits.
But they all have one thing in common. Your CEO is your company’s spirit.

Your CEO must be the Digital Shaman. Not the CDO.
Your CEO has the global vision. The CDO knows how to support it through the digital transformation.

Thank you so much to:

• My lovely wife for continuous inspiration
• https://www.seressourcer.net/chamanisme.htm for information on Shaman
• Docteur Jean-Raymond Attali (director from the Chinese Medicine Diploma, Bobigny UFR) for his publication ‘’La médecine traditionelle chinoise’’
• https://www.lavoieducercle.com for their explanations on Shamanism

And all my apologies for my neophyte medicine views and explanations… my specialty remains digital.