The German automotive industry is undergoing a twin transformation—digitalization and electromobility—reshaping its workforce, particularly engineers, who are central to innovation yet traditionally tied to combustion engines. This study examines how the shift toward battery electric vehicles (BEVs) affects engineers’ organizational and professional identities, comparing those engaged in electromobility (“new” engineers) with those still working on combustion engines (“old” engineers). Using a mixed-methods approach, we analyze qualitative interviews with 37 engineers and two quantitative surveys (n = 4136; n = 710) spanning 2015–2024. Findings reveal substantial internal divisions in engineering, with organizational strategies intensifying this polarization, leading to divergent experiences and dysfunctional outcomes. Quantitative data further explore identity shifts in engineering between 2022 and 2024, focusing on trust in management and works councils, and shifts in future assessments across multiple levels (from specific products to the industry as a whole). The descriptive results question whether traditional theories of engineering identity are valid amid rapid transformation. The study contributes to debates on professional identity in times of disruptive change, highlighting tensions between innovation-driven roles and legacy expertise in the automotive sector.
Sabine Pfeiffer (Tue,) studied this question.