Question for Engineering Leaders

For context, I work in Metro Detroit, where a lot of people have strong ties to the automotive industry. At one non-automotive company I worked for, an executive gave a talk about how we needed to operate more like a “software factory.” I didn’t personally find the message offensive. The intent was to emphasize predictability, quality, and fewer defects by borrowing ideas from manufacturing. These were areas the company needed to address and improve.

That said, the framing landed very poorly with many developers. Some had parents who worked on assembly lines and were pushed to go to college specifically so they would not have factory jobs. For them, the “software factory” metaphor felt dismissive and demoralizing. Morale took a hit, and we eventually saw a noticeable wave of resignations. Some engineers felt that the challenges of software engineering weren’t appreciated my management, and that they saw us a cogs on a line. There were factory jokes made for weeks and months following the all team meeting where this concept was first presented. It was a mess.

This experience was a good lesson for me in how much messaging and metaphors matter. Even when the underlying idea is reasonable, the framing can completely change how it is received. Big, high-stakes messages are worth testing with a small, trusted group first.