Watch: Why empathy and trust are key to manufacturing transformation

Introducing new technologies in automotive manufacturing is as much a leadership challenge as a technical one. At Automotive Manufacturing North America (AMNA) 2026, Lazola Tutani, Production Department Manager at Continental in South Carolina, explained why successful digital transformation depends on understanding employees, adapting to cultural differences and building trust on the shopfloor.

Having worked in South Africa, at Continental’s headquarters in Hanover, Germany, and now in the US, Tutani has experienced contrasting approaches to change. While German manufacturing environments tend to be highly structured, he described US workplaces as more individualistic, with employees expecting greater flexibility and clearer explanations of why new technologies should be introduced.

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For manufacturing leaders, this means adapting their approach rather than applying the same transformation strategy across different locations.

At Continental’s South Carolina operations, Tutani involves influential shopfloor employees in early technology trials before a wider rollout. Their feedback helps refine new systems and creates a sense of ownership that reduces resistance to change. Publicly recognising employees who have contributed to successful pilots also plays an important role in encouraging adoption.

The approach is particularly relevant as manufacturers introduce AI and other digital technologies across their production networks. Rather than imposing solutions from the top down, Tutani believes employees need to understand their benefits and feel that their perspectives have shaped implementation.

However, his most important message concerns leadership itself. Tutani argues that managers must first reflect on their own behaviour, demonstrate genuine empathy and understand technological change from the perspective of their employees.

“That empathy builds trust, and that trust allows us to drive change,” he said.

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For Tutani, this principle extends beyond national cultures and manufacturing environments. Whether in German R&D departments or American production plants, employees are more willing to embrace transformation when they believe their leaders genuinely understand and care about them.

Watch the full interview to hear Tutani discuss the differences between German and American manufacturing cultures, Continental’s approach to involving shopfloor employees in technology rollouts and why authentic leadership is essential to making change work.