Helping individuals & organizations become systematic, productive, and resilient.
Services
Organizational Development
Organization Development projects increase the effectiveness of your people, processes, and technology as a system. These projects begin with a discovery phase that often includes interviews, process mapping, and tech tool analysis. Once I am up to speed on the existing conditions of your organization, goals with milestones are set, and the work on the three cores can begin.
People. Organizational success begins and ends with the people involved. And this means investing in the development of the Primary Skills: values orientation, self-management, communication, technology skill, problem-solving, social engagement, cultural capacity, collaboration, and information engagement. No matter what industry you operate in, investing in the Primary Skills will set you up for success today and prepare you for tomorrow.
Processes. The “how” of our work is as important as the “what”. Unfortunately, most of our development work goes into “what” we do, and we leave the “how” to get sorted out along this way. This leads to chaotic processes that create extra work, increase stress, and undermine success. There are best practices for running meetings, invoicing, client management, staff development, project management, record-keeping, and communications. And there are intelligent ways to ensure these practices are aligned with one another to create a flowing system at the center of your organization.
Technology. Technology and data optimizations are a core part of any organizational development effort. These optimizations can take the shape of better-structured data, a clarified file management system, or automations that reduce errors and increase productivity. This enables your organization to focus people-power on the most important work. Small organizations have significant untapped potential when it comes to leveraging technology, data, and automation.
Organizational Development projects require onboarding time and often take months to accomplish. Typical outcomes of these projects are improved management practices, better functioning technology, clarified data collection and reporting, and a more effective organization overall.
Strategic Planning & Practice
Gone are (or should be!) the days of three to five-year strategic plans and consultants who parachute in and then disappear just as quickly. Today’s dynamic environment demands that organizations aim to improve on a daily basis. Strategic Planning & Practice allows an organization to focus on the day-to-day while simultaneously keeping the future in mind. An effective Strategic Planning & Strategic Practice is a commitment to regular reflection on successes and failures, to continual learning, and to the development of resilient and broadly applicable skills and processes.
Strategic Planning & Practice can be a one-off event (a good place to start) or a series of sessions that embed a strategic practice into your organization (recommended).
Research, Development & Project Management
Think of the Research, Development & Project Management service as your very own on-demand, problem-solving, question-answering, get-that-thing-done department. Projects can focus on any topic or sector. Previously, I have worked on manufacturing workforce development, HUD reporting for federal funding, research on the future of work, hunger relief systems change, community health worker professional development. I excel at implementing that big, important project you need to get done but don’t have the people power to do so.
Great-fit clients for Research, Development & Project Management services need a competent, sophisticated, driven person to design and develop a professional development experience, launch a new program, run a grant, or manage a project.
About
Values
These values are the guiding framework for all actions taken by Contexture / Tim Syth.
- Well-being: prioritization of a positive human condition.
- Effectiveness: production of the right work at the right time with high quality.
- Systems: integration into the larger context.
- Authenticity: cultivation of transparency, integrity, and cultural representation.
- Practice: commitment to a disciplined approach on a daily basis.
Previous Clients & Partners
- City of Milwaukee
- Milwaukee County
- Medical College of Wisconsin
- Multicultural Entrepreneurial Institute
- Alliance for Regional Development
- Greater Milwaukee Committee
- Milwaukee Real Estate Investors Association
- St Joseph Food Program
- Feeding America Eastern Wisconsin
Tim Syth
I am Tim Syth, and I support organizations and workers as they adapt to the shifting nature of work in response to globalization and technology. There exists a golden opportunity to reconsider how we undertake work and how our organizations function to better serve humans.
My professional focus is developing systems that improve organizational operation and heighten worker productivity and well-being. I have extensive experience running small organizations and doing project-based work. I currently work with both for-profit and nonprofit organizations as a consultant. I have also worked on both local and national-level grants. In 2017, I also started a coworking space called 5Wise Workshop.
Prior to moving to Milwaukee, I lived and worked as a photographer in Berlin, Germany, while completing my Master’s degree in the field of Media & Communications. I have lived abroad extensively, grew up in the rural farming community of Greenwood, WI, and am handy with a chainsaw.
An integrated work-life practice and Nora (my companion) are key to my production and well-being.