The European job market is far from neutral. It is deeply shaped by a colonial and imperialist history, which has dictated the norms of professionalism, competence, and success. These historical legacies continue to drive inequitable talent management practices that systematically marginalize racialized employees while upholding discriminatory biases under the guise of meritocracy.
Beneath the surface of corporate diversity and inclusion discourse, structures remain largely unchanged: racialized employees remain underrepresented in leadership positions, face persistent glass ceilings, and have their skills and competencies questioned more often than their white counterparts. Decolonizing careers is not just about opening doors to an unaltered system—it is about rebuilding talent management on foundations free from colonial legacies.
Decolonizing Talent Management: Unpacking Systemic Racism in the Workplace
Talent management in Europe is built on standards historically shaped by Western, white-centric references, which have long excluded or marginalized racialized professionals.
Several structural mechanisms contribute to this exclusion:
1. Hiring discrimination: a veiled social and racial filter
Access to employment and career opportunities is deeply biased from the very first stages of recruitment. Research indicates that a candidate with a "non-European" name is at least 30% less likely to be called for an interview, even when qualifications are identical (Source: Institut Montaigne, 2020).
Anonymous CVs and competency tests are rarely implemented, leaving recruitment decisions heavily influenced by unconscious biases and racial stereotypes.
Selection criteria favor standardized career paths, often linked to prestigious universities and elite corporate experience—institutions that have historically been (and are still) mostly white.
2. Underestimated and Excessively Scrutinized Talent
Once in the workplace, racialized professionals face double standards:
They must constantly prove their legitimacy, as colleagues and managers often perceive them as “less competent” by default.
Their skills and achievements receive less recognition, slowing their career progression and exposing them to professional stagnation
Studies show that racialized employees face increased scrutiny, subtly suggesting that their work is not up to standard (Iceberg Management, 2019). This phenomenon can be described as a competency perception bias, where minorities must constantly justify their legitimacy against implicit norms shaped by racial biases. As a result, racialized employees often need to “overperform” just to access the same opportunities as their white peers.
3. Potential Assessment & Succession Planning: The Invisible Labels Blocking Racialized Careers
In most large companies, career progression is not solely based on actual performance but on subjective evaluations of an employee’s “potential”. This process is deeply opaque and riddled with biases, with particularly harmful consequences for racialized professionals.
Early and persistent labeling: From hiring onward, employees are classified according to perceived potential. Being labelled as "high potential" or "low potential" is a categorization that shapes all future decisions regarding training, promotions, and career development. This opaque process makes it extremely difficult for those labeled as "low potential" to change this perception, particularly in the absence of transparent feedback.
A non-transparent system: Unlike performance reviews, employees are rarely informed of their ranking, making it nearly impossible to break free from a "low potential" label once assigned.
A racially-biased leadership filter: Studies show that racialized professionals are less frequently seen as having leadership potential, as they do not conform to the dominant leadership archetype—a white male from an elite academic background.
This system creates a self-reinforcing loop where racialized employees remain trapped in execution roles, never advancing into strategic or decision-making positions. They spend years seeking recognition that will never come, while their white counterparts are actively groomed for leadership roles.
4. Exclusion from Influence Networks and Leadership Opportunities
In the workplace, informal networks play a crucial role in internal mobility and leadership access. However, racialized professionals remain largely excluded from these circles:
Lack of mentorship and sponsorship: Leadership remains overwhelmingly white, and cultural affinities often shape decisions about who gets fast-tracked for executive roles.
Limited access to strategic opportunities: Racialized professionals are often confined to operational and technical roles and are rarely given high-visibility projects.
These dynamics form an invisible web of obstacles, slowing or even completely blocking the career advancement of racialized talent.
Decolonizing Self-Perception: Deconstructing Internalized Racism
Faced with a system that marginalizes them, racialized professionals often internalize doubt and self-limiting beliefs, shaped by dominant norms that fail to recognize their full potential. This self-censorship, described by the concept of "racial imposter syndrome," leads to:
Self-silencing in professional discussions and hesitation in seeking promotions
Hyper-conforming to "white professionalism" norms, at the expense of authenticity and creativity
Normalizing microaggressions and discrimination, due to fear of backlash or being perceived as “too radical” or “too vocal
Breaking these patterns requires reclaiming professional identity and embracing a diverse leadership model—one that does not require cultural conformity as a prerequisite for success but positions racialized professionals as integral to organizational excellence and leadership.
Decolonizing Careers: Radically Rethinking Talent Management in Europe
The current talent management system requires fundamental restructuring. Key solutions for systemic transformation include:
Dismantling discriminatory hiring practices: Implementing anonymous CVs, skills-based assessments, and regular HR audits
Addressing bias: Systematic and mandatory unconscious bias training for recruiters and everyone involved in recruitment (CV screening, interviews).
Reforming performance evaluation and promotion criteria to ensure objective, bias-free assessments
Institutionalizing mentorship for racialized talent and setting measurable diversity goals in leadership programs.
A Matter of Justice and Systemic Transformation
Decolonizing talent management is not an act of generosity toward minorities—it is an undeniable necessity for a truly equitable professional world.
Professional emancipation is not an option; it is an undeniable necessity. Without deliberate action, the job market will remain structurally inequitable—it must be deconstructed and reimagined on new foundations.
Light of Truth Series | This article is part of a broader reflection on systemic exclusion in the corporate world and strategies for reclaiming professional spaces for racialized professionals. The time to act is now.
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