Purpose: The present study aims to investigate the relationship between smart talent management and meritocracy in order to provide the expressive characteristics of the selection, appointment and maintenance of managers. Methodology: The research method is descriptive survey and the required information has been collected using a researcher-made questionnaire that its validity has been determined from the available resources and through expert opinion and its reliability has been determined by calculating the Cronbach's alpha coefficient (.882). The statistical population of the present study includes the associate professor faculty members and higher rankings and staffs having MA and higher degrees, i.e. a total of 1,200 people. Sampling method is stratified random sampling through which 291 people are selected as the statistical sample. Findings: Findings of exploratory factor analysis show that strategy, attraction, evaluation and discovery of talents are the main components of talent management, and organizational learning, knowledge expansion and sharing are the main components of knowledge management. Among the 13 dimensions of talent management, the development of talent with a standard coefficient (.90) and preservation of talent with a standard coefficient (.88) are the most effective ones, respectively. Discussion: Among the 13 dimensions of knowledge management, expansion and sharing with a standard coefficient (.95) and organizational learning with a standard coefficient (.88) are the most effective ones, respectively. Also, confirmatory factor analysis confirms the relationship between smart talent and meritocracy with a standard coefficient (1.06), and test statistics has evaluated the severity (correlation coefficient) of this relationship (.299).
