A broader measure of merit

THIS WEEK'S TOPIC: How should the concept of meritocracy be tweaked to tackle new challenges in Singapore society today?

Karl Hamann Chief Executive Officer QBE Insurance (Singapore) Pte Ltd

SINGAPORE'S principle of meritocracy has been an important factor in the country's rise. It reflects the important principle that deserving people fill the right jobs regardless of their background or social circumstance. By this virtue, meritocracy should remain a guiding light for Singapore.

At the same time, social policies must remain robust, providing the metaphoric "trampoline" for Singaporeans to springboard to their aspirations, even if from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Recent tweaks to our education system to reduce focus on academic scores are good steps in the right direction, and part of a longer journey to guarantee continued balance, equality and fairness for all.

Laurent Dedenis CEO Chainstack

MERITOCRACY is about power being accessible to all based on merit. Often, we also associate meritocracy with the idea that given the right education, anyone, regardless of his/her social roots, can reach any level of power and success in our society. However, to me, meritocracy is not only about power. It is about making sure that our education system trains and grows the much-needed talents in different fields so that we can build a more balanced society and not just a straightforward hierarchy. Meritocracy should be about enhancing diversity.

Seah Kian Peng CEO NTUC FairPrice

WE sometimes hear meritocracy spoken with a sneer today but we must recognise that meritocracy in its best form - that of encouraging personal effort and refusing to entrench privilege - is a necessary partner to social mobility. Without some notion of desert as arising out of effort and agency, we are left with the vagaries of luck or corruption or privilege in allocations of positions and rewards.

But privilege has learnt to disguise itself as merit.

The well-off invest more, and earlier, in their children's education. There is no policy instrument to curb this impulse - nor should we do so. Singapore can and should continue to invest in the education of disadvantaged students to narrow the gap. We need to shift from valuing academic merit alone to respecting broad-based achievement. Last and most importantly, we must learn the ways in which the wealthy use money to wear the face of desert - in policy making and social mores, let us recognise that inherited wealth is a matter of property rights, not meritocracy. The son of a rich Singaporean deserves no more respect, nor opportunity than the son of a poor one - indeed, it is the duty of the state and the community to help the latter succeed.

Mario Singh CEO Fullerton Markets

THE concept of meritocracy has long hinged its roots in selection by ability alone. To tackle new challenges and prepare for the bright future of Singapore, I feel the concept of meritocracy needs to include character-building. We must stress the importance of social inclusion at all levels. It's good to reach for our dreams; it's even better when we help others along. Character and competence must go hand in hand. As an old African proverb goes: "If we want to go fast, go alone. If we want to go far, go together."

Let's go together and build a sustainable Singapore that future generations can be truly proud of.

Victor Mills Chief Executive Singapore International Chamber of Commerce

GIVEN that we want meritocracy to benefit each generation, there are two things that we should do right away. First, scholarships should be awarded only to promising, needy students rather than to those from well-off homes who already have all the advantages they need to succeed in life. The second thing we can do as a society is to value all skilled jobs equally, not just those of banker, doctor and lawyer. Respecting skilled carpenters, decorators, electricians and plumbers, to name a few, will mean paying more for their services and more for the highly skilled. That's true meritocracy and will go some way to reduce income disparities.

Chris Riley Group Chairman Ogilvy Singapore

I JOINED the advertising industry 25 years ago based on the concept of meritocracy, successfully referencing it in my first job applications as a newly minted graduate. It's what attracted me to stay in it ever since. Ogilvy embraces meritocracy - using it for talent recruitment, promotion and retention decisions.

Despite much being written, a gap remains in how businesses espouse meritocracy versus adopt its principles. Businesses encourage staff to cultivate eccentricities and individualism but how many truly welcome the "black sheep"? Others claim to value soft skills and life experiences but often rely on formal education results to make hiring decisions. Many have programmes to recognise progress but how many of these are merit-based versus rewards for tenure or toeing the corporate line?

John Bittleston Founder and Chair Terrific Mentors International Pte Ltd

SCHOLARS are invaluable to a society. They provide philosophical environs within which political, commercial and social cultures develop, having due regard to the past, pragmatic embracing of the present and creative imagination for the future. They help to create the discipline of hard work and enable quick, fast growth. A meritocratic society based on scholarship alone won't flourish for long. It will become good at interpersonal games, poor at relating to others outside the games' arena. A society suffering from too much meritocracy needs realism, practical, hands-on work and overseas experience to learn how to handle the rest of the world.

Max Loh EY Asean and Singapore Managing Partner Ernst & Young LLP

MERITOCRACY helps to drive high-performing societies. If we accept that diversity and inclusion - recognising and respecting the value and strengths that different people of varying backgrounds, life experiences and qualifications can bring - is also key to driving more robust performance outcomes, then driving meritocracy and diversity and inclusion must go hand in hand.

There is nothing inherently wrong about meritocracy until society fails to enable proactive opportunities for social mobility or reach out to the disadvantaged, which can then breed perceptions of elitism and widening social stratification. Only by building a culture of both excellence and inclusion can we bring out the best in everyone, and embrace a broadened definition of merit and success.

Dileep Nair Independent Director Thakral Corporation Ltd

MERITOCRACY is one of our core values that have brought us to where we are today. Unbridled meritocracy, though, exacerbates the gap of inequality in our society. We need to recognise the different starting points of people's lives and compensate for the inherent disadvantages of some, particularly of the very young.

Broadening the definition of meritocracy as well as recognising and rewarding different skills and talents, will help. So too will targeted schemes that address the socio-economic stresses faced by poor families. Most important is for society to adopt an enlightened mindset that acknowledges and appreciates the role that each member plays, no matter how mundane it is.

People at the top need to set an example by inculcating and displaying a genuine sense of humility and noblesse oblige. This will allow us to retain meritocracy as a value for our continued success.

Chris J Reed Global CEO and Founder The Dark Art of Marketing and Black Marketing

MONEY doesn't buy you a personality. Yet your personal brand is what differentiates you and often this is expressed through confidence and that can often come through a wealthy family enabling a child to go to the right school and have extra lessons. Singapore needs to recognise that personality is born out of and shaped by real-life work and life experiences, often with mentors and leaders who can set great examples.

Less-wealthy children need to be helped more to fulfil their potential and give their personality confidence to go on and achieve great things just like their wealthy peers. A greater focus on internships and work experiences and rewards for company owners who take kids on from more disadvantaged areas and schools of Singapore would be a move in the right direction to ensure that Singapore remains a meritocracy.

Bala Shankar Director NPS International School

MERITOCRACY is often associated with clear metrics, but an individual's starting point and early opportunities seem to impact his or her outcome - especially "merit scores" for people without an ideal start, socially or financially. This is why there is a call for redefinition.

However, rather than tinker with the concept, it is better to intervene and level the playing field. For example, at the school level, this would be to provide additional support to children with challenging domestic environments. People with "alternate" talents can also benefit from a broader parameter of merit. The bottom line is that there should be "one" interpretation of meritocracy in any system, just like how "character" or "fairness" are understood.

Jayajyoti Sengupta Head, Asia-Pacific Cognizant

THE definition of work is changing rapidly, as we progress into an interconnected world of automation, algorithms, and bots. New jobs are emerging, requiring modern skill sets and competencies. In order to achieve true equality, education institutions and corporations should change their mindset on how they evaluate students and candidates. A meritocratic Singapore will have to look beyond traditionally-considered merits and recognise that a wider set of skills is needed for today's economy and society. Increasingly, soft skills such as flexibility, self-motivation, creativity, and the ability to stay ahead of the digital curve will have to be integrated into competency assessments, from schools to the workplace.

Priveen Raj Naidu Founder and CEO Reapra Aviation Partners

THIS is why you have the Western world traditionally seeing more natural entrepreneurs than in the East where we are taught to conservatively stay within the lines.

Equal opportunities must be available in schooling for children to present their talent in an empowered environment, and it is the role of schools across Singapore to try and help and align these kids based on their natural capabilities. And for one to enter the job market with confidence, he/she must be fortified with the right self-empowering tools in school.

As a business owner, I look beyond CV, and consider how an individual can contribute to my vision beyond just the baseline KPIs (key performance indicators).

I've learnt that it takes way more than grades to effectively execute a role; other factors such as passion, determination and self-initiative are key. Schools should teach these values, which are applicable beyond the academics to help a child develop a good mindset that will be carried throughout his life.

Mark Billington Regional Director, South-East Asia ICAEW

IN our efforts to tackle new challenges, it is important to recognise that we are unable to completely redraft the concept of meritocracy overnight - nor that we should.

Instead, we need to ensure that the definition of skills, talent or performance, upon which people are rewarded under a meritocratic system, evolves with the changing landscape.

Our education system should reflect the dynamic nature of this definition while providing a strong foundation upon which everyone can flourish. This means a broader approach that allows students on different tracks to success. Educators and employers alike should learn to reshape their thinking to reduce inequalities and constantly re-evaluate the way students and potential employees are benchmarked, hired and developed as the future workforce.

Promoting social mobility in the profession and beyond is one of the key areas ICAEW looks at. In recent years, we have developed a number of non-graduate routes into the profession, including flexible programmes that offer a bachelor's and/or master's degree among other collaborations with companies and educational institutions to ensure that all students are given a level playing field with equal chances to succeed. Bright, hard-working students should be empowered to succeed whatever their background.

Dexter Ng Chief Technology Officer and Co-Founder AntiHack.me

MERITOCRACY in Singapore has led to the dominance of a few elite educational institutions and a concentration on certain stereotypical career paths - government service, the law, medicine. But the rapid development of technology, combined with the millennial mindset, is opening up new pathways to success. For example, gamers, developers, and even white hat hacking, were seen as dead-end pursuits, but with the advent of new technologies, these skill sets and attitudes are in demand and, more importantly, can be crucial to the success of an organisation. Businesses will always seek the right talent to remain competitive, and the new meritocracy may look very different from the old.

Phil Teeman CEO Dentsu Aegis Network Singapore and South-east Asia

ON an organisational level, we must start from within and lead by example. Our culture rewards ambition. When we are building our key assets - our talent - in the marketing industry, we must look beyond traditional qualifications and appreciate those who are passionate about doing things differently and better than before. For us, that drives innovation and collaboration is key. We champion an unconscious bias programme to foster a diverse and inclusive culture at every level of the business. These organisational values ensure skills, talents and strengths that will benefit all segments in the digital economy.

Snehal Patel CEO and Co-Founder MyDoc Pte Ltd

THE Singapore education system is already moving towards a better, more sustainable approach. By looking at a broader range of attributes, the definition of meritocracy is changing and by doing so will help encourage policies that support creative and out-of-the-box thinking. This is necessary in a new economy where we simply do not know what technical skills will be in high demand by the time a child is through with his/her education. When applied to socioeconomic disparities, more scholarships and other financial support should be made available to make sure that children with ability are not left behind in clusters.

Sandie Overtveld VP APAC Zendesk

IT is clear that meritocracy has been key to Singapore's success as a nation on a number of levels. In order to keep growing, a shift towards recognising a broader range of skills, talents and strengths, and not just academic performance, is imperative. Shifting from measuring academic performance can be hard to do, given that determining the contribution that skills like creativity and problem-solving make to our communities are not as black-and-white.

Opening ourselves up to new experiences and different perspectives are important ingredients to creating a diverse and inclusive society and, as a result, workplaces. As we become increasingly committed to levelling the playing field for people, regardless of their gender, race or sexuality, creating diverse and inclusive societies and workplaces will help enrich one of our greatest human qualities - empathy.

Because we create products that are meant to serve everyone, it is simply common sense for us at Zendesk to have a workforce of different skills, abilities, experiences and perspectives. Just as it has helped us grow from strength to strength, we believe this approach will also have the same profound impact on our communities.

Jayaprakash Jagateesan Chief Executive Officer RHT Holdings Pte Ltd

MERITOCRACY rewards high achievers but ignores how privilege distorts the race to the top and creates hurdles for those with fewer resources at hand.

A re-balancing of sorts is needed in our schools to ensure young Singaporeans do not begin their education with different starting lines. The OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) reported that low-income students in Singapore appear to be concentrated in the same schools, and lagged behind their privileged peers. Additional learning resources ought to be provided to students who lack them.

Beyond academic achievements, we look for talents who have proven themselves through their achievements in their corporate careers. We believe in a meritocracy where determined individuals equipped with the right knowledge can achieve great things, regardless of their background.

Albert Phuay Yong Hen Chairman and Group CEO Excelpoint Technology Ltd

I THINK Singapore should adopt a broader meritocracy of many skills, harnessing the various strengths and talents of its people rather than placing too much emphasis on academic pursuits and qualifications. As the Chinese saying goes: "Tian sheng wo cai bi you yong" ("Everyone has a talent to contribute to society"). Everyone has his/her potential, and whatever skill he/she is good at should be valued and respected.

Schools should widen their benchmarks to welcome students from diverse backgrounds and academic abilities and with unique aptitudes such as character, resilience and entrepreneurship, to learn and grow together. Students will be exposed to different ways of thinking and living, helping them to gain enriching experiences, embrace new ideas and find their passion. At the workplace, it is important to assess aspiring candidates based on non-academic aspects, such as experience, drive and the ability to work in a team.

When there is passion, people will be motivated to keep learning and improving themselves to achieve their dreams. Even after over 30 years of being in the industry, I am glad that I am still steadfast in my interest in electronics, and I am looking forward to continuing a longstanding and thriving career out of it and helping future generations with similar aspirations.

Rodrigo Wickbold President, APAC Kraft Heinz

THE concept of meritocracy in Singapore, and around the world, has always been largely based on academic grades, where students who perform better in examinations tend to have higher chances of landing a coveted spot in prestigious institutions.

In Singapore society today, students often lack soft skills which are not taught in books and are only acquired through life experiences. Ambition cannot be taught, it has to be harnessed within the individual. As such, meritocracy has to evolve to become not just about being book smart, but street smart as well.

Kraft Heinz values engaging talents who are driven - we welcome people from various backgrounds, instead of limiting it to the FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) industry. In order to nurture talents and equip them with a diverse pool of experience, organisations should evaluate a candidate's future potential, instead of basing judgement on academic performance alone. For a job-seeker, that means the importance of adopting a growth mindset, an entrepreneurial spirit, and an ambition to grow, far exceeds the chase towards paper qualifications.

Helen Ng Chief Executive Officer General Storage Company Pte Ltd

IF we adhered to the basic principle of meritocracy - that everyone should be afforded the same opportunities to succeed in life regardless of their social backgrounds - there would be nothing to tweak in the system.

However, that is not always the case. This is why equal opportunity schemes exist to give students from disadvantaged backgrounds a leg-up. These could be in the form of bursaries or quota systems to ensure that they can compete on an equal footing with their peers and have similar access to quality education.

I myself was a recipient of bursaries when I was a student. We should keep supporting deserving students from disadvantaged backgrounds while recognising that grades are not the only pathway to success.

Lim Soon Hock Managing Director PLAN-B ICAG Pte Ltd

I HAVE always held the view that meritocracy is more than academic achievements. It should encompass talents in other areas, for example, in the arts, sports, music, entrepreneurship or any special skill that an individual possesses through his or her passion - for example, in photography or motor racing.

In other words, a person's abilities, capabilities and qualities cannot be defined by academic achievements alone, as many of us, in the workplace have found out time and again.

It is heartening to note that government is de-emphasising academic achievements as a passport for an individual to build his or her career, and that there are indeed many alternative proven pathways to success, as shown by other First World nations.

It will take a generation to change this mindset, but it should and must be done. For a start, we can learn from the practice of MNCs (which I had worked for in the 1980s and 1990s) to make it mandatory for job placements to spell out that, in lieu of academic qualifications, applicants with the requisite number of years of experience in certain skills and expertise will be favourably considered.

Sheena Chin Country Director Veritas Storage Singapore

OVER the years, meritocracy has paradoxically resulted in greater inequality. Families spare no effort in investing in the future of their children, especially when they have benefitted from the system. This has led to different starting lines for children from different family backgrounds, with the less-affluent lagging behind.

As we strive to uplift the disadvantaged with more resources, it is important for society and employers to embrace diversity and broaden the definition of success to include various talents and skills beyond academic achievements. Social mobility would bring tangible impact only if the disadvantaged are given the opportunity to take up roles where top graduates would traditionally have an edge over them.

Toby Koh Group MD Ademco Security Group

SINGAPORE is a very young nation and our social values, culture, economic mindset and communal flavours continue to evolve. Meritocracy has been a cornerstone of Singapore's economic success. The debates and discussions about how this has changed through the years is reflected best in the recent education policy updates. It is clear that the fixation of many parents on pure academic results may no longer fit into current trends of creativity, learning soft skills and other areas of disciplines including the arts, music and sports.

As Singapore matures, the thirst of our citizens for other symbols of achievement is now more wide-ranging. Excellence is no longer measured simply in a dollar denomination but in many intangible ways.

I agree fully that one key focus must be how we can level up the disadvantaged in Singapore so they will have a fighting chance to reach their fullest potential. On a more macro viewpoint, how we tweak our version of meritocracy will enhance the Singapore brand into the future, which will be invaluable.

Jessie Xia Managing Director - South-east Asia ThoughtWorks

COMPANY leaders, recruiters, and schools in Singapore need to have a broader definition of meritocracy. Beyond academic grades and qualifications, Singaporeans should be assessed on a broader range of areas such as personal aptitude, passion, and skills.

Creating a diverse working and learning environment where individuals of different backgrounds and walks of life are given the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas regularly is a first step in the right direction. Diverse groups and teams mean varied skill sets and viewpoints which can bring greater value and better solutions.

At ThoughtWorks, we have proactively focused on building an organisation that embraces diversity, respect, and openness - attributes which are part of our core values. Our recent win at the 2018 HR Excellence Awards for Diversity and Inclusion is a testament to our efforts in building a work environment that promotes diversity and inclusion.

Ian Lee CEO, Asia-Pacific The Adecco Group

IN the face of rising inequality, meritocracy needs to be peppered with a little empathy. For HR leaders in Singapore, this means making HR practices more inclusive especially, when it comes to the importance placed on qualifications during hiring.

For too long, companies have attached a special "prestige" to certain institutions or qualifications as a sign of merit even when these credentials may not be an accurate predictor of attitude, skill or potential. This needs to change.

Today, skills can be gained through hands-on experience, coding camps, self-learning or vocational education and not necessarily through academic courses. It helps to understand such trends in the changing world of work and stay agile and responsive in order to tackle new challenges in society today.

Dolly Goh CEO Singapore National Co-operative Federation (SNCF)

MERITOCRACY has served Singapore well, but the concept needs to evolve to address the challenges of a changing society. Singaporeans must be given opportunities to progress through life. Education is important but other factors like compassion, leadership and the desire to help others in the community are equally important. It is individuals with these values who will help play a role in creating an enabling environment for those whose starting points may be less-fortunate than others.

The SNCF Co-operative Scholarship awards, introduced in 2008, specifically target students who have a heart for the community apart from academic qualifications. SNCF strives to empower youth through its youth engagement programmes, which advocate the principles of self-help, mutual help and care for the community, to make lives better for all.

Lee Siang Chief Executive Officer Dyslexia Association of Singapore

THE Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) agrees with Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung's advice to not "cap the top, but do even better in lifting the disadvantaged". While students from lower income families are often identified as "disadvantaged", those students with specific learning differences such as dyslexia are also significantly disadvantaged compared to their peers.

DAS conducts free screening and talks to increase awareness of the needs of this group and raises funds to support them through bursaries. We firmly believe that with the right support, they can rise above their challenges. So, as we tweak our concept of meritocracy, we must also pay attention to levelling the playing field for those with learning differences.

Marcus Loh Council Member and Accreditation Board Member Institute of Public Relations of Singapore

MERITOCRACY is a social system in which people get opportunities to succeed based primarily on their talent and effort. In Singapore's globalised economy, it's inevitable that some will do better than others.

Let's consider three ways to help more people benefit from our meritocracy. First, the more successful should feel duty-bound to help his broader community thrive. Second, many in society define success far too narrowly. We can afford to broaden this definition and recognise different peaks of excellence, beyond income, education and profession. Third, while we strive to cultivate a more egalitarian society, we should ameliorate personal effort and allow for the rapid escalation of living standards for all.

Henry Tan Group CEO Nexia TS Group

"BEST man wins" should never be compromised. However, this does not mean that those who are not the best do not get a chance to work in an environment that is suited for them. What we really don't want is to have "best" defined only by academic performance, or one's alma mater.

Meritocracy should stay but the measurement must be broadened beyond academic and certain skills. So, a person who excels in music, sports or arts should be as lauded and respected as one who's exceptionally good in science or medicine.

Recruitment policies in firms should also be broadened to include different skills - for example, we as an advisory and accounting firm don't take in only finance trained personnel; we also have arts, social science and engineering students joining us. This augurs well for diversified skills and resources.

Annie Yap CEO AYP HR Group

WE have to acknowledge and be aware of the differing circumstances (especially financial) which often account for the variances in the tangible results. The underprivileged have to deal with vicissitudes that most others will not experience - simple things such as keeping food on the table. We can help by giving subsidies, ensuring the basic needs of disadvantaged families are met, so their kids can focus wholeheartedly on schoolwork. We can allow them access to remedial courses to improve on themselves. A little appreciation and encouragement can go a long way in unlocking their vast potential. We can help to effect change and level the playing field, gradually and incrementally.

Zaheer K Merchant Regional Director (Singapore and Europe) QI Group of Companies

I WOULD seek to identify the challenges in society first before grappling with the concept. Rising income inequality and decreased social mobility are not altogether new issues.

On the other hand, we are all told to work hard and be the best. The measures are actually relatively straightforward and stem purely from education. Levelling education and access to education is the key.

And with the advent of MOOCs (massive open online courses), accessibility to online education for free or cheaply, retraining at every level including SkillsFuture courses, the variety of work/skills being created which don't require degree qualifications, an even playing field can soon emerge.

The challenge of society is really dealing with what will be the "new normal" that will develop. This applies across the board and I feel that meritocracy or not, in due course we are all going to be level.

Dora Hoan Group CEO Best World International Ltd

MERITOCRACY is a deeply held value in Singaporean culture. It has enabled social mobility for the majority of Singaporeans.

But we now need to reconsider and improve our past successful meritocracy for our future social development. What we need in the future is the resilience of people and their ability to adapt to changes and globalisation. Of course, we can't deny that people with higher education are relatively self-disciplined and more intelligent. In most cases, they are more trustworthy and reliable. But they may not necessarily be the experts who can respond to contingencies.

Therefore, I agree with Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung that meritocracy in Singapore has to evolve. Academic achievements do not equate to success in everything. People should embrace a wider range of skills, talents, strengths and mindset to meet the new challenges of future society. We should also strengthen our moral and humanities education.

True meritocracy is about accepting people with different talents and fitting them to the right roles. We should encourage people to find their own strengths and interests, and only in this way can meritocracy exert its strength and push people beyond their potential.

Cindy Leong Founder Relationship Studio

WE are all wired differently. What is an achievement for one is a meaningless task for another. The Enneagram's wisdom holds true - we all don't see the world the same way.

Therefore, if we continue determining achievement through the traditional definitions of success, we will see meritocracy fail certain Enneagram types again and again. These people could be Enneagram Type 4, 5 and 9 individuals who perhaps do not fit the typical mould of achievers that Singapore has cherished all these while.

Taking into account different worldviews would be a good starting point for Meritocracy 2.0.