This week, Zeynep Ton, professor of the practice at the MIT Sloan School of Management, discusses how low productivity often stems from flawed workplace systems—rather than a lack of capable employees—and emphasizes issues such as poor scheduling and employee empowerment. Ton highlights that improving job quality through systemic changes, rather than simply raising pay, can significantly reduce turnover costs and enhance productivity across organizations. Read the summary.
Episode Guest
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Zeynep Ton
Zeynep is a professor of the practice in the operations management group at MIT Sloan School of Management, the co-founder and president of the nonprofit Good Jobs Institute, and the author of two books: The Good Jobs Strategy and The Case for Good Jobs.
In her research, teaching, and consulting work, Zeynep focuses on how organizations can design and manage their operations in a way that satisfies customers, employees, and investors simultaneously. Zeynep received numerous awards for teaching excellence at MIT Sloan and at Harvard Business School where she worked previously. Her research has been published in managerial and scholarly journals and has been featured widely in the media. The Good Jobs Institute’s mission is to help companies, especially in low-wage service sector, thrive by creating good jobs and build a stronger middle class. The Institute has worked with more than two dozen companies—ranging from Fortune 100 to a two-store restaurant business to improve performance and jobs.
Zeynep lives in Cambridge with her husband and four children. A native of Turkey, she first came to the U.S. on a volleyball scholarship from the Pennsylvania State University, where she received her B.S. in Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. She received her D.B.A. from the Harvard Business School.
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