Contribution review

Steward: Tim Masson

On January 1, 2019, all managers at Raise exchanged their “Positional Authority” for the Authority granted via the RaiseOS to everyone equally across the company. Because of this shift, everyone in the company now has the Authority to take on any Problem/Opportunity and “manage” it to a decision or resolution via the practices listed on the RaiseOS flowchart.

Problems and opportunities related to (y)our own or a co-worker’s role or contribution are managed through a practice called the Role Advice Process. Undertaking a RAP yourself or recommending one to a co-worker makes sense when you can live with your/their existing level of contribution, but you see an opportunity to respond to client needs, tackle a new challenge, and/or get more aligned with the “three-circles of Meaningful Work”.

In situations, however, where you can not live with a co-worker’s existing level of contribution to the organization (i.e. in which you believe someone is not making a Net-positive Contribution to the organization), a higher degree of effort is required to ensure the psychological safety of the participants and the positive outcome of the problem or opportunity.

The Contribution Review exists for that purpose.

It outlines actions by which any co-worker (called the “Initiator”) can raise the problem/opportunity with another (called the “Receiver”).

Initiator steps

1. Choose a Peer Mentor

Choose a Peer Mentor to guide you through the process.

Peer Mentors currently include Emily Schmidt, Meaghan Nowicki, Cassandra Sturk, Sagar Chatterjee, and Tim Masson, because of their HR expertise and experience with this practice. [Note: this group has a responsibility to train others so that a wider group of Peer Mentors is available in the future.]

Book a call with one now.

The Peer Mentor will help you think about:

  1. Are you using the best practice? i.e. Are you attempting to address a contribution problem/opportunity or is this something else? Can you live with the receiver’s current contribution? Why or why not?
  2. Has feedback been given to and understood by the receiver? What’s the evidence of that?
  3. What is the immediate and long-term impact to the business if the Receiver chooses to leave?

Often these questions do not have easy answers. Wrestling through them is the role of the Initiator, with the support of the Peer Mentor.

You and your Peer Mentor must also find out from Cassandra Sturk (North America) or Sagar Chatterjee (India, Ghana, Philippines, Peru) what the cost of a Transition Package will be before you decide to proceed (important note: you will not present this information to the Receiver – the Receiver will request this from Cassandra/Sagar directly.)

2. Meet With Receiver

Plan this conversation with your Peer Mentor to make sure that it contains the following elements (and that it is delivered with compassionate candor):

Important note: if you or the receiver wish to have the support of a neutral facilitator, invite one of our trained facilitators to the conversation. The list of facilitators can be found here.

  1. Tell the Receiver that you are initiating a Contribution Review.
  2. Share your reasons for initiating the Contribution Review.
  3. Acknowledge that you may have a limited view of the Receiver’s contribution and that if the Receiver chooses to pursue a Role Advice Process, you will participate as a fair-minded Advisor to their RAP taking the perspectives of all their other Advisors into consideration alongside your own.

Bring with you a copy of the Contribution Review (this document) for the Receiver and walk them through it to help them understand their options for next steps – see below.

3. Document the meeting with an email (that day, if possible)

Follow-up the conversation with an email that contains the following elements (and that is written with compassionate candor):

    1. A statement that you met with the Receiver to initiate their Contribution Review.
    2. Attach a copy of this Contribution Review document with a reminder for the Receiver to review the Receiver Steps.
    3. A reminder of the Contribution Review due date (see 2.A.ii).

4. Participate as an Advisor

If the Receiver decides to initiate a RAP, you must participate as an Advisor:

    1. Offering your perspective(s)/reason(s) for initiating the Contribution Review in a respectful manner,
    2. Considering/listening/learning from the perspectives of all other Advisors, and
    3. Being fair-minded when you decide whether (or not) to give consent to the Receiver’s RAP proposal.

Receiver steps

1. Meet with Cassandra or Sagar

Understandably, it can feel very difficult to be asked to do a Contribution Review, but the good news is you have a voice in the process. In fact, many of the people who have been asked to do Contribution Reviews are still with the company and finding more success than before.

Cassandra Sturk (North America) or Sagar Chatterjee (India, Ghana, Philippines, Peru) will help you with two initial steps. First, they will provide the Transition Package details for you to review. It is important that you understand the package details before making your choice to do a RAP or exit the company. Second, they can help you with step 2, finding a Peer Mentor.

2. Choose a Peer Mentor

To help you along the way, you will need a peer mentor to support you. Choose someone who can provide guidance and encouragement through your process. Note: the trained Resolution Facilitators list can be found here and the Peer Mentor list can be found here. These people would all make great Peer Mentors. Choose someone you trust to be both candid and supportive, someone who knows the steps, and can help you process the feedback/advice you get from others. It’s probably best if your mentor is not also an advisor.

3. Decide whether you choose to do a Role Advice Process (RAP) or Exit the company

At this stage you have two choices, either a. or b.:

A. Role Advice Process

If you choose to initiate a Role Advice Process, simply follow the standard Role Advice Process (RAP) template with guidance/assistance from your Peer Mentor. When completing a RAP inside the context of a Contribution Review, the following Special Conditions apply:

i. Completing the RAP is your top priority

If you choose to do the RAP (which is your freedom within the RaiseOS), it becomes your #1 priority to seek Advice and make a Role-proposal that gains consent of your Advisors. There are no limits to the creativity and content of this proposal but here are some examples of past strategies we have seen:

    • A proposal to stay in the same role, with a clear Agreement and Accountability plan to improve your contribution.
    • A proposal to stay in the same role and change your compensation.
    • A proposal to change aspects of your role (or entirely change it) to a role where you can make a greater contribution.
    • Create greater clarity among your advisors about your contribution(s) by exposing your advisors to one another’s perspective(s) via the RAP and, therefore, the current role continues without major changes.
    • A decision to exit the company, but with an extended working transition that mutually benefits you, your team, and the company.


ii. The RAP Proposal Timeline is limited to 14 days

Within the context of a Contribution Review, all involved parties: you, your team, and the company need clarity about the future direction of your role as soon as possible (while giving you a reasonable time to work through the process).

Because you have been given the freedom to make the RAP your #1 priority, it is your responsibility to gain consent for your RAP proposal within 14 days of the date your Contribution Review was initiated (the “Contribution Review Due Date”).  Keep in mind: initial proposals can require changes as advisors respond and give feedback. These changes require reflection and discussion, so plan your time accordingly.

B. Exit the company

At any time after a Contribution Review has been initiated, the Receiver may choose to take a Transition Package and exit the company. The Receiver can either make this choice right away or can decide to do so at any point during their RAP (if/when they decide not to continue with the RAP).

Details about the Transition Package are included in the FAQ below. In the context of a Contribution Review, the amount of the Transition Package must be understood by the Receiver before they initiate the RAP (see 2.A.iii).

If the Receiver is unable to gain consent for their RAP proposal by the Contribution Review Due Date, the Receiver will still have the option to accept the Transition Package and sign the Release. If the Receiver does not wish to accept the Transition Package, the Company will proceed with their termination in accordance with Company Policy and the applicable Employment Standards for that region.

FAQs