Assessment of the Adoption of the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) in the Local Government Units in Palawan, Philippines

Transitioning from a traditional to strategic human resource management (SHRM) has been the primary objective of the Program to Institutionalize Meritocracy and Excellence in Human Resource Management (PRIME-HRM) by the Civil Service Commission (CSC), with the goal of building a culture of excellence within organizations. However, local government units (LGUs) in Palawan face difficulties in effectively adopting the said program. Hence, the study assessed the roles of the Human Resource Management Officers (HRMOs) and Practitioners (LGUs) from LGUs in the province in adopting PRIME-HRM in their respective agencies. The study population is majorly composed of Government Department Heads, involved in PRIME-HRM implementation as board members or technical staff, and have attended the learning and development (L&D) orientation of the program. Findings reveal that the respondents have implemented their roles in adopting PRIME-HRM across the four (4) core HRM systems, showing greatest confidence in implementation when explaining associated concepts with each system within their respective agencies. Common challenges identified in adopting PRIME-HRM include lack of resources, unclear understanding of PRIME-HRM-associated roles, absence of formal training, and difficulty in managing demands from different stakeholders, to name a few. It underscores the need for key implementers of the program to continuously adopt measures to ensure that LGUs can transition efficiently from traditional to SHRM through PRIME-HRM. Moreover, routinary assessment of the quality of implementation, from the jurisdiction of HRMOs and HRMPs, are warranted to improve public service delivery in dynamic and resource-limited environments.