If you meant they are more complicated than gearboxes, then I think we are saying the same thing and either you aren't getting it or I am not doing a good job conveying it.
If you are think there is absolutely no analogy, gimme one and I can say the same for that too. If this was the case then, I am sorry but I believe that statement of yours was absolutely unthoughful.
Which is about the same degree of attachment expressed in the idea that a project manger can "shift" programmers into and out of pair programming mode the way one would work a stickshift.
Working habits are intensely personal, idiosyncratic things.
People -- by which I mean creative, productive, self aware & self-managing people; i.e. the only kind you should ever hire -- almost by definition don't like being pushed into working one way or another. Or being simply told what works best (because X or Y said so).
Working habits could be personal but there is something called as team work. You should also make sure the person is capable of collaborating. Collaboration does not always means attending meetings.