Beyond Infrastructure: Why Higher Education IT Needs Trauma-Informed Leadership Now

Picture an IT professional racing against the clock to implement a critical system upgrade before the semester begins, knowing any delay or error could disrupt thousands of students and faculty. The stakes are high, the hours are long, and the pressure is relentless—a reality reflected in broader trends across the higher education IT landscape. In 2024, 58 percent of IT employees reported experiencing burnout, with 70 percent describing their workload as "somewhat excessive." Even more striking, 68 percent noted an increased workload, further intensifying their stress levels. Female IT staff were particularly affected, often preferring remote work to alleviate these pressures.^Footnote1

These figures reflect a growing crisis—one that demands a new kind of leadership that prioritizes the human side of technology. This burnout epidemic is not just a human resources issue—it's a leadership failure. Beyond managing technical infrastructure, higher education CIOs are increasingly expected to act as catalysts for digital transformation, guiding institutions through complex changes while ensuring alignment with academic and administrative objectives.^Footnote2 Trauma-informed leadership offers a transformative solution. This approach emphasizes psychological safety, trust, and empathy. It prioritizes well-being, fosters ethical decision-making, and builds the organizational resilience needed for long-term success.

Addressing the Unique Challenges in Higher Education

Trauma-informed leadership, rooted in the work of scholars such as Sandra Bloom, acknowledges the psychological and emotional toll that high-stakes environments take on individuals and teams. Initially developed for clinical settings, Bloom's Sanctuary Model is relevant here. She explains, "We need to shift from a punitive model to one that is restorative, where the emphasis is on healing relationships, addressing harm, and fostering responsibility."^Footnote3 This restorative approach is crucial in higher education IT environments, where staff are often overwhelmed by constant demands and high-stakes responsibilities—both of which contribute to burnout.

Trauma-informed leadership helps to reduce burnout by directly addressing the emotional strain on IT employees. It helps foster a workplace culture where individuals feel supported, acknowledged, and empowered to speak up without fear—key factors in mitigating turnover. Research increasingly links psychological safety and ethical decision-making to long-term success, particularly in high-pressure environments.^Footnote4 In higher education IT departments, trauma-informed leadership does more than improve team dynamics—it shapes the student experience by ensuring reliable, empathetic support for learning technologies.

For CIOs, implementing trauma-informed leadership is not just a matter of ethics—it's a strategic imperative. The emphasis on psychological safety also plays a critical role in enhancing ethical decision-making among IT staff members, especially when addressing sensitive issues such as data privacy, cybersecurity, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). Trauma-informed leadership creates an environment where employees feel safe to voice concerns about the ethical implications of technology without fear of retribution. In this context, staff are more likely to raise concerns about potential security risks or unintended consequences of an AI implementation, leading to more responsible and thoughtful decision-making. Trauma-informed IT leadership ensures the stability of critical systems by minimizing disruptions that can derail student learning and progress.

Raising Awareness about AI and the Trauma Response

The challenges faced by higher education IT staff often stem from the intersection of technological demands and institutional pressures. These challenges are not limited to day-to-day operations. Instead, they become magnified during periods of significant change, such as the rapid rise of AI. As IT staff grapple with the transformative potential of AI, they often exhibit trauma-like responses—heightened stress, reactive decision-making, and ethical paralysis—underscoring the urgent need for trauma-informed leadership. The integration of AI tools offers a clear example of how these trauma responses manifest and why leadership rooted in empathy, trust, and psychological safety is essential for navigating such disruptive shifts.

Although 63 percent of CTOs express moderate confidence in managing the implications of AI, only 9 percent believe higher education is adequately prepared for its rise. This data reflects a pervasive sense of uncertainty about the future.^Footnote5 A lack of cohesive, enterprise-level strategies for AI adoption compounds this uncertainty. More than half of CTOs acknowledge that their institutions focus narrowly on individual AI use cases rather than holistic integration, amplifying fears of the unknown and contributing to a fragmented, reactionary approach. With just 12 percent of institutions having comprehensive AI security and ethics policies, decisions are often made under pressure and without the necessary foresight.^Footnote6

The integration of AI also exacerbates burnout among IT staff. Hiring and retention challenges, driven by competitive offers outside higher education, already strain IT departments. The added workload and complexity introduced by AI deepen these issues, leaving many teams overextended and struggling to meet operational demands. This overextension undermines the ability of IT staff to manage AI implementations strategically, as fewer than half of institutions prioritize AI as a central focus despite its significant operational demands.^Footnote7

Ethical concerns that erode trust among IT teams and stakeholders augment these issues. More than 57 percent of CTOs cite data privacy as a major worry, and 42 percent highlight algorithmic bias and ethical implications as key concerns. Yet, progress in addressing these challenges is slow. Only 14 percent of institutions have dedicated teams to oversee AI ethics. As a result, IT leaders and their staff become stymied when faced with complex decisions.^Footnote8 Institutions that practice trauma-informed IT leadership can adapt more quickly to crises, ensuring the continuity of online learning, research, and administrative operations during disruptions.

Adopting a Trauma-Informed Leadership Approach

Higher education CIOs can combat burnout and turnover by fostering psychological safety among staff. Maintaining regular communication and ensuring access to mental health resources are pillars of trauma-informed leadership. Offering flexible work arrangements is also critical.

Transparency is another crucial factor in creating a supportive IT workplace—especially when it comes to addressing ethical challenges, such as data privacy, security breaches, or AI biases. CIOs should be open about these challenges and involve staff in decision-making, particularly ethical and security-related issues. Transparency and shared governance empower staff and help reduce stress and burnout by providing employees with a sense of control and ownership over their work. By fostering psychological safety, trauma-informed IT leadership ensures that critical systems remain reliable, minimizing disruptions that could hinder student learning and institutional operations.

Training in trauma-informed practices should be integrated into professional development for IT staff and leaders. By equipping teams with the tools to recognize and address trauma, CIOs can foster a culture where well-being is prioritized, reducing the likelihood of burnout while promoting ethical vigilance in areas such as cybersecurity and responsible technology use. Trauma-informed leadership empowers IT teams to advocate for ethical practices in technology implementations, ensuring trust and accountability across institutional boundaries.

Implementing Trauma-Informed Leadership

Sandra Bloom's foundational work on trauma-informed systems, particularly in Creating Sanctuary: Toward the Evolution of Sane Societies, provides a transformative framework for implementing trauma-informed leadership in higher education IT departments. Bloom's Sanctuary Model emphasizes the need for organizations to create environments in which psychological safety, transparency, and collaboration are prioritized.^Footnote9 This approach is especially relevant in IT departments, where high stress, rapid change, and ethical challenges are prevalent.

Central to Bloom's work is recognizing that trauma impacts not just individuals but entire systems. She argues that without intentional strategies to address trauma, organizations are likely to perpetuate cycles of stress and dysfunction.^Footnote10 For IT leaders, this means going beyond surface-level solutions and embedding trauma-informed principles into every aspect of their leadership. Leaders can accomplish this by fostering open communication, encouraging emotional intelligence, and ensuring that organizational policies promote resilience rather than exacerbate stress. Trauma-informed IT teams, supported by leaders who prioritize well-being, can implement innovative solutions such as AI-driven systems without sacrificing staff mental health.

One of Bloom's key concepts is creating "sanctuary" in workplaces.^Footnote11 For higher education IT leaders, creating spaces where staff feel supported, valued, and safe could involve establishing regular opportunities for staff to discuss challenges without fear of judgment, providing clear and consistent communication about organizational priorities, and building a culture where mistakes are treated as learning opportunities rather than failures. By fostering a supportive workplace, leaders who embrace trauma-informed leadership reduce turnover and create a stable environment that enhances faculty collaboration and student outcomes.

Bloom's work also highlights the importance of addressing ethical dilemmas and power dynamics, which are particularly pertinent in IT roles that intersect with AI and data privacy. As Bloom envisions it, trauma-informed leadership includes providing frameworks for collaborative, transparent, and ethical decision-making. This approach reduces the fear and uncertainty that can accompany high-stakes work.^Footnote12 Leaders can use her principles to guide teams through the complexities of integrating emerging technologies while ensuring the process remains ethical and human-centered.

Moving Forward on the Trauma-Informed Leadership Journey

Whether CIOs and IT leaders are already practicing trauma-informed leadership or are just beginning to explore it, the following steps are crucial. They should start by reflecting on the current state of their team's psychological safety. If team members are displaying signs of burnout or disengagement, begin with open conversations about well-being and ensure systems are in place to support team members emotionally and technically.

For leaders who are further along the journey, a trauma-informed approach can be deepened by focusing on transparent decision-making. Leaders should involve their teams in ethical discussions about technology and create safe spaces for them to raise concerns. Institutions that adopt trauma-informed principles can address critical challenges—such as data privacy and AI ethics—in ways that align with institutional values and build stakeholder trust.

Trauma-informed leadership can drive team well-being, innovation, and institutional success. By creating a resilient IT culture, CIOs can empower their teams to tackle cross-departmental challenges and contribute to strategic initiatives, such as digital transformation.

Those who are new to trauma-informed leadership can start small by fostering empathy and psychological safety in their daily staff interactions. Consistent, open communication and regular check-ins focused on emotional well-being can build trust. Leaders don't need to overhaul their leadership style overnight. Instead, they should look for incremental ways to weave trauma-informed principles into their leadership practice. In addition to benefiting internal operations, trauma-informed leadership in IT departments helps institutions navigate disruptions while maintaining a focus on student and faculty needs.

Keep in mind that trauma-informed leadership is an ongoing commitment. Whether a leader wants to sustain current practices or establish a new culture of support and well-being, the time to act is now. Institutions that prioritize the mental health and ethical leadership of their IT departments will not only navigate digital transformation successfully but lead it, creating lasting impacts on staff, students, and the future of education technology.

Creating a Vision for Trauma-Informed Higher Education IT Leadership

Trauma-informed leadership is not simply a response to burnout. It is a strategy for fostering innovation and growth within IT departments. By prioritizing empathy and psychological safety, CIOs create environments where team members feel empowered to experiment, take calculated risks, and innovate without the fear of making mistakes.

An IT department under trauma-informed leadership evolves from being a service provider to becoming a strategic partner in institutional success. Employees who feel psychologically safe are more likely to collaborate, share ideas, and engage in proactive problem-solving. With this foundation, IT teams can address major challenges such as data privacy and AI ethics, driving innovation while supporting the institutional mission.

Trauma-informed leadership supports a future where technology and humanity coexist harmoniously. CIOs who lead with empathy and model ethical decision-making can avoid the trap of viewing technology as a quick fix for complex problems. Instead, they can develop tools that support human development and improve the educational experience.

Ultimately, trauma-informed leadership offers a powerful vision for the future of higher education IT organizations. By fostering psychological safety, transparency, and ethical responsibility, CIOs can build resilient and creative teams and ensure that staff well-being and institutional integrity remain at the forefront.

Notes

1. Mark McCormack, The IT Leadership Workforce in Higher Education, 2024, research report (EDUCAUSE, March 2024). Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.↩
2. Robert Yanckello, 2024 CIO and Technology Executive Agenda: Higher Education, research report, (Gartner Research, March 2024). Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.↩
3. Sandra L. Bloom, Creating Sanctuary: Toward the Evolution of Sane Societies, 2nd ed. (Routledge, 2013). Jump back to footnote 3 in the text.↩
4. Patil Rajeshwari et al., "The Power of Psychological Safety: Investigating Its Impact on Team Learning, Team Efficacy, and Team Productivity," The Open Psychology Journal 16 (2023): e187435012307090. Jump back to footnote 4 in the text.↩
5. Colleen Flaherty and Doub Lederman, eds. 2024 CTO/CIO Survey: Perspectives on AI and IT Challenges in Higher Education, survey, (Inside Higher Ed, 2024). Jump back to footnote 5 in the text.↩
6. Ibid. Jump back to footnote 6 in the text.↩
7. Ibid. Jump back to footnote 7 in the text.↩
8. Ibid. Jump back to footnote 8 in the text.↩
9. Bloom, Creating Sanctuary, 2013. Jump back to footnote 9 in the text.↩
10. Ibid. Jump back to footnote 10 in the text.↩
11. Ibid. Jump back to footnote 11 in the text.↩
12. Ibid. Jump back to footnote 12 in the text.↩

---

Steven D'Agustino is Senior Director for Online Programs at Fordham University.

Timothy Winders is Assistant Vice President and Deputy CIO of Purdue University.