Software Huddle Building a High-Ownership Engineering Culture with Matt Watson
9 snips
Aug 5, 2025 Matt Watson, CEO of Full Scale and author of the book Product Driven, dives into transforming engineering cultures. He discusses the pitfalls of engineers being stuck in execution mode and emphasizes the importance of ownership and empathy in development. Watson shares insights on bridging communication gaps, particularly in remote settings, and the value of customer interaction. He also highlights how successful companies cultivate high-ownership cultures and empower their engineers, fostering innovation and collaboration within teams.
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Over-Specialization Limits Engineers
- Big companies often over-specialize engineers, limiting their product and customer focus.
- Successful engineers have strong communication, empathy, and challenge assumptions rather than just following orders.
Communicate Impact To Engineers
- Leaders must communicate clearly how engineering work impacts customers and business.
- Make engineers aware their work matters to foster ownership and better performance.
Agile Reduced Engineers’ Product Visibility
- Agile and product management roles have insulated engineers from big picture, reducing their product ownership.
- Engineers lose sight of customer impact as they are shielded behind product teams.
