At the recent Software Excellence Network event, Transform or Face Disruption, Alexander Springer of Bosch Mobility did something rare: he combined a sharp technical narrative with a radically honest look at human behavior inside legacy organizations. What began as a presentation about software architecture quickly turned into a masterclass on leadership, transformation, and the monsters we all carry with us.
Let’s talk about those monsters.
Bosch has identified 6 behavioral "monsters" — not bugs in code, but bugs in culture. You’ve probably met a few: the Silo Monster, the Not-Invented-Here Monster, the Perfection Monster, the Spaghetti Code Monster. Instead of ignoring them or punishing those who act them out, Springer invites his teams to name and play with them — quite literally.
Using AI-generated cards, Bosch has gamified its transformation. In meetings, when a behavior shows up — let’s say, someone dismisses an external idea without really considering it — a colleague can simply hold up the Not-Invented-Here Monster card. No shaming. No confrontation. Just shared language, and a shared commitment to change.
This metaphorical language is backed by real, hard technical thinking. Springer’s team is responsible for the Bosch Mobility common frameworks, defining the reference architectures, guidelines, and toolchains that underpin vehicle software production. And here, too, the scale is massive: Bosch operates over 3,500 tools across its software portfolio. It’s no wonder one of their goals is to simplify, standardize, and map the future tool landscape. Less chaos, more reuse. Less entropy, more scale.
But it’s not just about tools. It’s about trust — and a new model of industrial software development that borrows from IT paradigms.
Take Tesla. Springer highlighted how Tesla’s centralized architecture — built with headroom and flexibility from day one — allows it to push OTA updates that extend the product lifecycle and create entirely new business models. Contrast that with the traditional OEM mindset: slow, risk-averse, and designed around avoiding liability rather than iterating toward value. Springer points out that this risk aversion, while understandable, is what slows European and American players down relative to the so-called “China Speed.”
The Chinese approach? Ship faster, accept partial readiness, and improve in the field.
The Western approach? Ensure 200% readiness before taking a step.
Springer doesn’t argue for reckless engineering. Instead, he calls for clarity on which software innovations create real strategic advantage — and which ones don't. It’s not about doing everything in-house just because software is important. It’s about doing the right things in-house and building ecosystems that support the rest.
Indeed, ecosystems are a recurring theme. Bosch is now thinking beyond the car. An electric vehicle isn't just a mobility product — it’s part of an energy grid, a data ecosystem, and a services platform. If you treat it like a closed box, you're missing the opportunity. But tapping into those opportunities requires behavior change, not just architecture change.
And that brings us full circle to the people side.
Because, as Springer says, “If we don’t take the people with us, we’ll fail.”
The "Monsterland" project is more than fun visuals. It's a serious investment in culture — in helping engineers, product managers, and architects confront ingrained patterns with humor, honesty, and humility. It’s an experiment in self-awareness at scale. And it’s already working: the internal platform has seen over 80,000 monsters generated in just a few months, sparking new conversations and new ways of working.
Springer closed with a simple challenge: don’t just talk about the transformation — live it. Start with 80% solutions. Reduce tool sprawl. Talk about what’s broken. And most importantly, bring your monsters into the light.
Note: This article is inspired by a masterclass given by Alexander Springer at the Transform or Face Disruption executive exchange. While I tried to remain true to his message, to understand the full depth and context of his remarks I recommend watching the full presentation.