Many organizations assume that because they value merit as the sole determinant of talent decisions, introducing fair processes will undermine meritocracy. It doesn’t. In fact, fairness amplifies meritocracy by ensuring every decision reflects ability and potential—not assumptions or bias. When systems are designed to be fair, transparent, and inclusive, leaders can truly recognize and reward merit.

Meritocracy sounds like the ultimate ideal, but research shows that when organizations declare themselves meritocratic, bias often increases. Why? Because the belief in objectivity can reduce leadership scrutiny, giving leaders subconscious permission to rely on assumptions about talent—often drawn from familiar networks. This was a topic of discussion at our recent Symmetra Europe Talent Forum, where the debate centred on whether leaders can rely on experience and intuition alone—or if talent practices should be engineered for inclusion. The answer? Declaring systems meritocratic does not make them so. Fairness must be intentionally designed into hiring, promotions, succession planning, and performance management so leaders see the full talent pool—not just those closest to them.

In my previous Global Supply Chain HRBP role, we shifted from assumptions to data-driven decisions. We outlined future impact outcomes and leadership profiles for roles, introduced third-party assessments using a consistent approach to identify high potential, leveraged Workday to capture full skills and experience data, and implemented panel reviews with diverse senior leaders to avoid isolated decisions. The result? We uncovered many “outliers” who had been overlooked in the old regime. With transparency and fairness, these individuals were considered— leaders saw firsthand how fairness opens doors for talent that might otherwise remain invisible. Today, many of those leaders carry the legacy of right talent practices forward.

Fairness is not about creating special programs for diverse groups; it’s about designing systems that work for EVERYONE. When processes are inclusive, objective, and accessible, employees and leaders adopt them because they see better outcomes for all.

The real question isn’t whether merit and inclusion can co-exist—they can. The question is: are you ready to design fairness into your talent practices so that true merit shines through?