June 26, 2025

The CIO’s Dual Mandate: Balancing Innovation and Infrastructure in the Age of Transformation

SPM Mythbusters Series

3 min read

Key Takeaways

Understand how modern CIOs face a dual mandate: keep the lights on and drive innovation.
See why CIOs need a complete picture of their portfolio, including what is discretionary and non-discretionary.
Find the right balance, and you'll be well-positioned to lead your organization into the future.

The chief information officer (CIO) role is in crisis. No longer the undisputed boss of all things technology, today's CIOs often find themselves caught between two conflicting worlds.

The split role

The modern CIO exists in two distinct states:

Type 1: The guardian of the infrastructure. This CIO is focused on reliability, security, and cost-effectiveness. Their priorities are uptime, disaster recovery, and keeping the trains running on time. For them, AI is about predicting outages and optimizing the service desk.
Type 2: The champion of innovation. This CIO is obsessed with the future. They're exploring AI, cloud computing, and all the other technologies that can transform the business. They see technology as a strategic weapon, not just a utility.

The danger of disconnect

The challenge: Which role is more important? You must determine how your role can deliver the biggest business benefit.

To do that, you need a full picture of your portfolio, including how much is non-discretionary and how much is discretionary. Is the actual amount what you think it is?

Finding the balance

Can you do both? If you were to choose a lane, which lane do you take? Either way, there's no escaping the reality: transformation is expensive.

The path forward: A blended approach

To truly thrive, the modern CIO needs to embody both personas and here’s how: become the chief “investment” officer.

The best way to do this is to start by asking a lot of questions:

What kind of investments do we make?
What value does it bring?
What can it accomplish?

The best benefit of this approach is that you establish a focus and get into the game. Find the best solution and let the company use the technology. This sets the stage for growth.

Are you ready to lead the transformation?

The CIO role is no longer about simply keeping the lights on. It's about strategically leveraging technology to power innovation while ensuring the reliability and security of existing systems.

Embrace the dual nature of the job. Find the right balance, and you'll be well-positioned to lead your organization into the future.

Tag(s): ValueOps , Clarity , Strategic Portfolio Management , SPM , Chief Information Officer , CIO

Brian Nathanson

Brian Nathanson is a recovering certified Project Management Professional now serving as the Head of Product Management Clarity at Broadcom. He is the host of several popular Clarity-related customer webcasts (Office Hours, Release Previews, and the End-to-End Modern UX Demos) and has conducted many hours of both...

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