--- title: Time to revisit your competency framework? description: Many organisations have a competency framework, perhaps designed many years ago and some question its relevance now. Is it time to revisit its value? image: https://blog.head-light.co.uk/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_2118782795-1.jpg --- [![HeadLight-logo-from LF for website](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/hubfs/HeadLight_Sep2016/HeadLight-logo-from%20LF%20for%20website.png)](https://head-light.co.uk/) - [About Us](https://head-light.co.uk/what-makes-head-light-different/) ### [Our Clients Our clients come from industry, justice, government and not for profit sectors.](https://head-light.co.uk/our-clients/) ### [Case Studies Find out what people have said about Head Light and how we have helped.](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/case-studies) ### [Client Charter We like to be clear and upfront in how we work – and how we won’t work. 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It requires robust and secure software, solid processes and great administrators.](https://head-light.co.uk/administrator-training/) - [Our Blog](https://blog.head-light.co.uk) - [Blue Light Services](https://head-light.co.uk/blue-light-services/) ### [Blue Light User Group Sharing talent management best practice and collaborating on new features to the Talent platform.](https://head-light.co.uk/blue-light-user-group/) ### [Talent Management for Police 360, PDR and talent and succession planning for police officers and staff.](https://head-light.co.uk/talent-management-for-police-forces/) ### [Talent Management for Fire and Rescue Services 360, PDR and succession planning for fire and rescue services.](https://head-light.co.uk/talent-management-for-fire-and-rescue-services/) [TELL ME MORE](https://head-light.co.uk/contact-us/) # Time to revisit your competency framework? --- ### ![person managing talent on computer](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_2118782795-1.jpg?width=322&height=215&name=shutterstock_2118782795-1.jpg)Just when you thought that competency frameworks were all but dead,  we're seeing a resurgence in the market. Many invested in competency frameworks during the 90s heyday – and have retained a firm belief in the unrealised potential of a common language for performance and behaviour – and now we're witnessing a number of organisations ‘refreshing’ their frameworks and committing renewed energy to bringing them to life and putting competencies to work. But we're also seeing organisations who have never had a detailed competency framework in place before, now expressing an interest in developing one. They're recognising the need for a behavioural model which underpins all of their talent management activities. #### So what does a good competency framework give you? Most people know that a solid framework: - Gives employees a clear understanding of what ‘great’ looks like, and how to get there - Forms the basis of all assessment criteria, from external hires, to assessment for development, to performance management and appraisal - Helps managers to manage teams and individuals more effectively but it can also: - Help employees to understand and see what the organisational values look like in practice - Guide and inform decision-making at all levels - Improve customer experience and satisfaction - Enable people to plan and manage their own careers, job moves and promotions - Bring your organisation’s ‘external’ brand closer to your ‘internal’ brand and the employee experience In this series of blogs, we’re going to look at how you might do something more useful with your competency frameworks, and why they might not be ready for the scrapheap just yet. We’re also going to think about both obvious and less obvious ways in which competencies can be more deeply embedded in the fabric of the organisation – by encouraging people to demonstrate them, discuss them, teach or explain them to others and to recognise when people do it well. So, in the [next blog](https://head-light.co.uk/blog/2016/04/time-spring-clean-competency-framework/)we’ll talk about spring cleaning your competency framework and dusting it down for the future. In subsequent blogs we’ll be looking at the opportunities to embed your framework more deeply across the organisation, how to make it work harder and how to get better results from it. Psychologists will tell you about the Sunk Cost Fallacy (where you hang on to something just because you’ve invested lots of time, money or effort into it, not because it continues to have value), and this may be the case with persisting with some competency frameworks. But we also all know the phrase “*don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater*”.  So, take a careful, critical and creative look at what you’ve got and the potential it holds before you decide to ditch it. If you'd like to keep in touch with what we're thinking about competencies, then sign up to get regular updates. [Read more about what we do](https://head-light.co.uk/designing-your-competency-framework/) for clients concerning competencies and take a look at the lessons we have learned over the years. [![Competency Frameworks: 10 lessons learned](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2397834/4be91e8a-cf24-4cbe-b879-2f5f31351cc8.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2397834/4be91e8a-cf24-4cbe-b879-2f5f31351cc8) If it's time for you to think about how to bring your competencies to life, read our article. [![Read the article Bringing competencies to life](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2397834/09ed870c-30a7-4f92-a0c0-208af9bbc793.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2397834/09ed870c-30a7-4f92-a0c0-208af9bbc793)   [Developing Competencies](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/topic/developing-competencies) ## Related posts ### [The Police Leadership Commission Report: What It Means for Your Force](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/police-leadership-commission-report-what-it-means-for-your-force) The Police Leadership Commission report sets a clear direction for policing - and it has immediate i... 23 Jul 2026 ### [Organisational Insight: evidence that organisations fail to use](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/organisational-insight-evidence-not-used) Organisational insight is one of the most underestimated assets available to HR and business leaders... 13 Jul 2026 ### [How your Workforce Intelligence platform turns data into signals](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/workforce-intelligence-platform-turns-data-into-signals) Every organisation generates data about its people continuously. Performance ratings, development ac... 13 Jul 2026 [![HeadLight-logo-from LF for website](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/hubfs/HeadLight_Sep2016/HeadLight-logo-from%20LF%20for%20website.png)](https://head-light.co.uk/) [![Fosway-2025](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/hs-fs/hubfs/Fosway-2025-150x150.jpg?width=150&height=150&name=Fosway-2025-150x150.jpg)](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/news/head-light-fosway-grid-2025)   ### Useful Links - [Home](https://head-light.co.uk/) - [About](https://head-light.co.uk/what-makes-head-light-different/) - [Workforce Signals](https://head-light.co.uk/workforce-intelligence-platform/) - [Products](https://head-light.co.uk/products-overview/) - [Blue Light Services](https://head-light.co.uk/blue-light-services/) ### Workforce Signals - [Capability Intelligence](https://head-light.co.uk/workforce-intelligence-platform/workforce-mobility/) - [Organisational Insight](https://head-light.co.uk/workforce-intelligence-platform/organisational-insight/) - [Succession Intelligence](https://head-light.co.uk/workforce-intelligence-platform/organisational-insight/) - [View All](https://head-light.co.uk/workforce-intelligence-platform/) ### Our Products - [Talent 360](https://head-light.co.uk/products-overview/talent-360/) - [Talent Performance](https://head-light.co.uk/products-overview/talent-performance/) - [Talent Navigator](https://head-light.co.uk/products-overview/talent-navigator/) - [View All](https://head-light.co.uk/products-overview/) ### Consultancy & Training - [Consultancy & Training Services](https://head-light.co.uk/consultancy-training/) - [Designing your competency framework](https://head-light.co.uk/designing-your-competency-framework/) - [360 and performance assessment design](https://head-light.co.uk/assessment-design/) ### Support - [Contact](https://head-light.co.uk/contact-us/) - [Blog](https://blog.head-light.co.uk) - [FAQs](https://head-light.co.uk/faqs/) - [Resources](https://head-light.co.uk/resources/) - [News](https://blog.head-light.co.uk/news)   Copyright © Head Light Ltd. 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