Our people are at the heart of everything we do. The Competency Framework sets out the behaviours and ways of working we expect from all employees, whatever your role, location or service area.
The framework is built around our Connect for Success principles and links directly to the Way We Work Together.
The Way We Work Together describes what good work feels like in practice across Argyll and Bute Council – being listened to, respected, supported through change and trusted to do our best. These shared expectations are reflected throughout the Competency Framework at all levels.
Together, they describe what we want to achieve and how we work together to achieve it. The Competency Framework helps turn these shared expectations into clear, practical behaviours that can be used in day-to-day work, conversations, development and decision-making.
The framework does not replace the job-specific skills, qualifications and experience in your job description. Instead, it provides a shared set of expectations about how we do our work and how we support each other to deliver the best possible outcomes for our communities.
For everyone, the framework sets out how we work together, stay focused on what matters most, support each other to learn, use data and technology well, and adapt as things change.
The Way We Work Together statements and the Competency Framework give a clear, consistent picture of what is expected of us all, whatever our role, and how we each contribute to a positive, high-performing council.
The framework is set out across three levels:
- Level 1 applies to all employees,
- Level 2 describes the additional behaviours expected from managers, and
- Level 3 describes what is expected from senior leaders.
The levels are progressive: as roles become more senior, the same core behaviours are expected on a wider scale — enabling teams to thrive, removing barriers, shaping culture and role-modelling the way we work across the council.
How to use this framework
You can use the Competency Framework in a number of ways to support consistent expectations and development across the council:
- Recruitment and selection – to design job descriptions, job adverts and interview questions and to assess candidates fairly and consistently against the behaviours needed for the role.
- Quality conversations – to support regular 1:1s, supervision, performance and development conversations; to give clear feedback and to agree expectations and priorities.
- Learning and development – to identify strengths and development needs, build personal development plans and target learning opportunities that improve performance and career development.
- Performance – to provide a shared language for recognising great practice and addressing areas for improvement.
- Team development – to set team expectations about how you work together and to strengthen collaboration across services.
The framework should be used flexibly and proportionately. Leadership and positive behaviours are not restricted to people with formal management roles – acts of leadership can come from anyone. Use the examples as a guide and discuss what good looks like for your role and context.
Level 1: All employees
We work across teams, services and locations to deliver the best outcomes for Argyll and Bute.
In practice:
- Uses shared tools (such as M365) to keep communication open.
- Involves colleagues early to avoid doing the same work twice.
- Helps to solve problems together.
We understand what is expected of us in our role and we focus on how we behave and work each day on delivering our shared goals.
In practice:
- Links day-to-day tasks and role responsibilities to council goals.
- Celebrates achievements that improve our communities.
- Prioritises work in line with agreed expectations and service priorities.
- Uses available tools and ways of working to deliver efficiently and effectively.
We support each other to learn, grow and do well in our roles.
In practice:
- Seeks feedback and acts on it.
- Takes part in training that supports their role and goals.
- Shares what they learn with colleagues.
- Takes responsibility for their learning, development and contribution.
We use data, evidence and insight to make better decisions and improve outcomes.
In practice:
- Uses available tools to understand service data.
- Records information accurately.
- Shares information to improve processes.
- Collects, uses and shares information appropriately to improve their work.
We regularly reflect, adapt and improve how we work.
In practice:
- Tries new approaches when things are not working.
- Suggests what could be improved.
- Takes part in individual and shared learning activities.
- Takes the initiative to learn and try new ways of working.
We respond quickly and effectively when needs change.
In practice:
- Responds quickly to changes in people’s needs.
- Tries new ways to solve problems.
- Works flexibly across tasks or locations.
- Changes priorities and approach when needed.
We use the right technology to improve how we work and deliver excellent services.
In practice:
- Effectively uses technology and systems relevant to the role.
- Learns new systems when they are introduced.
- Suggests how technology could improve people’s experience of our services.
- Uses the technology available to improve their work.
Level 2: Managers
We work across teams, services and locations to deliver the best outcomes for Argyll and Bute.
In practice:
- Sets expectations for working well together.
- Encourages staff to use shared systems and processes.
- Connects teams across services, creates opportunities to work together, removes barriers and coordinates activity to deliver a smoother service for people who use it.
We help our teams understand what is expected of them and how their work, behaviour and priorities contribute to delivering shared goals.
In practice:
- Helps the team understand what they are expected to deliver and how this supports council priorities.
- Connects behaviours, priorities and day-to-day work to shared goals.
- Recognises and shares achievements that show positive outcomes.
We support each other to learn, grow and do well in our roles.
In practice:
- Provides coaching and regular feedback.
- Gives people trust and independence where appropriate.
- Creates development opportunities that support the team’s learning and encourage people to take responsibility.
We use data, evidence and insight to make better decisions and improve outcomes.
In practice:
- Reviews data with the team to identify improvements.
- Makes sure data quality standards are met.
- Uses dashboards or reports to guide decisions.
- Collects, uses and shares information appropriately to improve work
We regularly reflect, adapt and improve how we work.
In practice:
- Runs team learning sessions.
- Encourages experimentation and new ways of working
- Uses feedback and learning from experience, successes and challenges to improve how the team works.
We respond quickly and effectively when needs change.
In practice:
- Supports quick decision-making.
- Allocates resources flexibly.
- Helps teams change direction when priorities shift.
We use the right technology to improve how we work and deliver excellent services.
In practice:
- Identifies digital training needs.
- Introduces digital processes where relevant.
- Encourages and enables teams to work together using useful digital tools and technology.
Level 3: Senior leaders
We work across teams, services and locations to deliver the best outcomes for Argyll and Bute.
In practice:
- Encourages collaboration across teams and balances different viewpoints to achieve shared success.
- Is effective at building coalitions and maintaining stakeholder relations.
- Ability to read the politics of situations.
- Enables the sharing of information, ideas and solutions with other services or partner organisations.
- Aligns services and strategies to deliver outcomes across the whole council
We focus on our shared priorities and make sure our work helps to deliver them.
In practice:
- Engages their team in conversations about the future and the significance of the part they play.
- Has a clear vision and puts plans in place to achieve this, aligned to council priorities.
- Raises team awareness of the wider factors impacting the lives of individuals and communities.
- Makes sound decisions and gives clear instructions.
- Sets and communicates a clear mission for the council.
We support each other to learn, grow and do well in our roles.
In practice:
- Takes a coaching approach to problem-solving with others.
- Recognises and shows appreciation for individual and team achievements.
- Proactively develops managers and builds a cohesive team capable of taking responsibility and making decisions.
- Delegates effectively and plays to people’s strengths.
- Displays emotional intelligence, adapting their communication to different people and situations.
- Role models the importance of wellbeing and finding a positive work/life balance.
- Makes sure our systems, structures and culture support high performance and development.
We use data, evidence and insight to make better decisions and improve outcomes.
In practice:
- Demonstrates that they use data to drive improvement and create efficient ways of working.
- Role models ways of using data to enable better outcomes.
- Uses data to target resources to where they are most needed.
- Makes use of relevant frameworks in place to ensure data is captured and used to inform decision making.
- Makes strategic decisions based on strong evidence.
We regularly reflect, adapt and improve how we work.
In practice:
- Reviews progress, ensuring people follow through on commitments and responsibilities.
- Empowers people to take balanced risks, learn from mistakes, and to share learning.
- Is self-aware and takes on board constructive feedback from others.
- Is active in promoting team development.
- Builds a culture where learning shapes strategy and innovation.
We respond quickly and effectively when needs change.
In practice:
- Is open to change, new ideas and approaches.
- Looks for solutions rather than worry about problems.
- Collaborates with other leaders to remove barriers to cross-team and service working.
- Empowers their teams to balance reactiveness with longer-term gains.
- Makes sure the council can anticipate and respond to change.
We use the right technology to improve how we work and deliver excellent services.
In practice:
- Sets clear expectations for utilising new technology to improve service delivery.
- Is willing to change the way they do things to embrace the benefits that technology brings.
- Creates the conditions for people to try, adopt and lead the use of new technology and innovation to improve performance and modernise services.