Deep Dive: Being Cautious vs Driving Change

Olivia Carter

So, here's something wild. Do you remember Second Life? That whole virtual reality world everyone thought was going to change education forever?

Mark Putnam

Oh, yes. I remember the buzz around it vividly. There was a time when some university leaders were seriously exploring how it could revolutionize virtual classrooms and student engagement.

Olivia Carter

Wait, really? Like, actual serious conversations?

Mark Putnam

Absolutely. It sparked quite a bit of dialogue. I remember sitting in meetings where we debated whether to invest resources into building virtual campuses on Second Life. The idea was that, maybe, students could attend lectures, engage with faculty, and collaborate—all within this digital world.

Olivia Carter

And? What happened?

Mark Putnam

We decided not to dive in. There were so many uncertainties: would it scale, could it genuinely serve education, would anyone really use it in a meaningful way? It felt like a gamble, and those of us in IT—well—gambling isn't exactly our modus operandi.

Olivia Carter

And it turned out you were right to hold off.

Mark Putnam

Exactly. Second Life didn’t pan out the way people envisioned. It had its moment, sure, but it quickly became obsolete. If we had sunk serious resources into it, we’d have been left explaining a very expensive experiment with little payoff.

Olivia Carter

Okay, but isn’t that the tricky part? I mean, how do you know when something's just a hyped-up flop versus the next big thing?

Mark Putnam

That’s the tension CIOs deal with every day—knowing where to bet and where to hold back. It’s not just about technologies like Second Life. It’s this deeper issue baked into higher education’s culture. A kind of, well, institutional preference for caution.

Olivia Carter

Like risk aversion?

Mark Putnam

Exactly. And it’s not inherently bad. I mean, we’re dealing with complex, mission-critical operations—tuition systems, learning management platforms, research data. The stakes are high. But when that caution dominates, you get some unintended side effects.

Olivia Carter

Like what?

Mark Putnam

Well, for one, tuition keeps climbing. Administrative processes become bloated. And public trust erodes because we don’t seem to innovate fast enough—or at least not in ways people notice. Innovation often gets funneled into these isolated, one-off 'special projects' instead of driving systemic change.

Olivia Carter

Right, so it’s like innovation gets boxed into these neat corners while everything else stays the same...?

Mark Putnam

That's right. Incremental improvement, instead of transformation. The problem is, in a world where everything else is accelerating, incrementalism is falling behind. And the real question becomes, how do we as CIOs lead through this tension—this pull between being cautious and driving change—without getting stuck entirely?

Olivia Carter

Right, so if balancing caution and innovation is such a delicate dance, how can making those logical, smart decisions still lead an institution to fail?

Mark Putnam

It sounds counterintuitive, doesn’t it? But that's exactly what Clayton Christensen’s Innovator’s Dilemma explains. Organizations—especially successful ones—often fail because they make rational choices. They listen to their stakeholders, focus on reliability, and avoid high-risk ventures. But in doing so, they ignore disruptive technologies that could eventually change the game.

Olivia Carter

Right, because those technologies look, what, too risky? Like they’re not worth the investment?

Mark Putnam

That's right. In higher ed IT, we see this dynamic all the time. Our priorities—uptime, compliance, predictability—they’re all critical. No question. But they create this mindset where we default to safe choices. And that can mean missing out on transformative opportunities. It’s a tough balancing act.

Olivia Carter

Okay, but, uh, what does that actually look like? Are we talking about playing it safe on the surface while innovation gets kind of stuck in the background?

Mark Putnam

Partly. But it also affects how we evaluate new technologies. Gartner’s Hype Cycle really illustrates this. The idea is simple: technologies go through phases—from wild optimism to disillusionment to eventual stability.

Olivia Carter

Oh! That’s the thing with the "Peak of Inflated Expectations," right?

Mark Putnam

That's right. Organizations that invest too early, near that peak, run the risk of chasing hype. They can overspend and end up with very little to show for it. But if you wait too long, until the technology is fully proven—what Gartner calls the "Plateau of Productivity"—you might miss the window when that technology could’ve been truly transformative.

Olivia Carter

Wow, so it’s like a lose-lose unless you time it perfectly?

Mark Putnam

Pretty much. And higher ed institutions? We’re wired to play it safe. Faculty and staff don’t want their systems disrupted. Budgets are tight, and failure impacts credibility. So, the natural impulse is to delay investment until the risks are minimal.

Olivia Carter

But by then, the transformative part is... gone?

Mark Putnam

Right. The opportunity to rethink how we operate—to actually lead change—gets lost. Instead, we end up with these safe, incremental improvements that don’t move the needle in a meaningful way.

Olivia Carter

It sounds like you’re saying resilience—like being risk-averse—is both a strength and a weakness?

Mark Putnam

Absolutely. Resilience is critical; it’s what keeps our systems running. But when it dominates decision-making, it can prevent real innovation. That’s the dilemma we operate in every day as CIOs. How do you protect what works while also taking the risks necessary to push your institution forward?

Olivia Carter

Alright, so you’ve got me thinking about that balance you mentioned. Venture capital firms—they take risks all the time, placing these big, wild bets on tons of startups. Why can’t higher ed take a page from their book?

Mark Putnam

Because higher education operates very differently. VCs can afford to play the numbers game; they expect that most of their investments won’t pan out. But the one or two that succeed? They create massive returns that cover all those losses.

Olivia Carter

So, you’re saying higher ed IT doesn’t have the luxury to, what, fail fast?

Mark Putnam

That's right. Our budgets are tightly controlled, and every decision has to be justified. There’s enormous pressure to protect institutional trust, which means delivering consistent, predictable results.

Olivia Carter

And that leads to, what... the "no police" dynamic?

Mark Putnam

Right. Information Technology organizations become more about guarding the perimeter than enabling transformation. We say "no" to risky ideas because failure carries so much weight—and when you say "no" enough, people stop coming to you with bold ideas altogether.

Olivia Carter

Yikes. So innovation kind of gets stuck in these little bubbles?

Mark Putnam

Exactly. It gets boxed into isolated projects or sandboxes. Instead of driving organization-wide change, innovation becomes performative—like we’re just checking a box to say, "Look, we’re innovating!" But the core systems? They stay the same.

Olivia Carter

Okay, but what happens when that’s the default? What’s the long-term risk?

Mark Putnam

You lose relevance. Incremental improvements aren’t enough when everything around you—student expectations, technology, even society—is evolving so rapidly. Institutions risk falling behind, and eventually, the trust we work so hard to protect erodes anyway. It’s a vicious cycle.

Olivia Carter

So... by playing it safe, you’re actually putting yourself at risk?

Mark Putnam

That's right. What starts as a desire to avoid failure can ultimately lead to stagnation. And when you stagnate too long, you miss the chance to lead change—to truly transform how your institution operates.

Olivia Carter

So, Mark, this all makes me wonder—how do CIOs actually tackle that balance between driving innovation and ensuring resilience? What does that look like in practice?

Mark Putnam

It starts with reframing how we think about the role. A CIO’s job isn’t to pick one over the other—it’s to hold both. To protect what works and selectively take leaps where it matters most.

Olivia Carter

Okay, but easier said than done, right? I mean, how do you balance that without either crashing the system or falling into, you know, just maintaining the status quo?

Mark Putnam

It’s definitely a tightrope. But there are strategies. First, you need to understand your institution’s appetite for risk. That means talking candidly with leadership about how much we’re willing to bet on unproven ideas—and what’s truly at stake if we don't.

Olivia Carter

Got it. Like, challenge the comfort zone a little?

Mark Putnam

That's right. Then, pick smart bets. Investments that align with your institution’s mission and strategic goals—not just the latest tech hype. That way, even if a project doesn’t fully pan out, it still adds value in some way.

Olivia Carter

Okay, but what about resources? I mean, higher ed budgets aren’t exactly overflowing with slack.

Mark Putnam

True. That’s where creating slack becomes critical—not just in budgets, but in capacity. You build flexibility into your portfolio so you can place a few calculated bets without jeopardizing core operations. It gives you room to experiment.

Olivia Carter

I like that—slack as an actual strategy. What else?

Mark Putnam

Last, it’s about speaking two languages fluently: the language of disruption and the language of continuity. You have to inspire people about what’s possible without letting them feel like you’re pulling the rug out from under them. It’s not either-or—it’s both.

Olivia Carter

So, you’re saying leadership is really about, what, managing the pull between those forces?

Mark Putnam

Exactly. No institution has ever changed the world by waiting for things to settle. And no CIO has led real transformation by only playing it safe. The work isn’t about choosing sides—it’s about leading from the tension between them.

Olivia Carter

Powerful stuff, Mark. And on that note, I think that wraps us up for today.

Mark Putnam

It does. Thanks for a great conversation, Olivia.

Olivia Carter

And thank you all for joining us. We’ll catch you next time.