Facing the future: trends in development environments that enable engineers to thrive

The evolving landscape of engineering is shaped by trends such as digitalization, sustainability, and globalization. While these trends impact product development, their direct effects on engineers remain underexplored. This study investigates how current trends shape engineering work environments and identifies key factors that enable engineers to thrive. Using a mixed-method approach, we conducted qualitative interviews and a quantitative survey with 122 engineers across industries. Our findings reveal that trends influence collaboration, autonomy, stakeholder involvement, and digital tool integration. The results emphasize the need for human-centered approaches, such as New Work, to balance flexibility and structure. The insights contribute to designing adaptive engineering environments that foster resilience, well-being, and innovation.