Summary

CIRCA was commissioned by Diversity Council Australia to evaluate the Realise. Inspire. Support. Energise. (RISE) project, aimed at building pathways to senior leadership for women from culturally and racially marginalised (CARM) backgrounds. The RISE project worked with organisations to implement organisational change interventions that help address systemic and organisational barriers for CARM women, and with women at the organisations to support their progression into senior leadership positions.

The purpose of CIRCA’s evaluation was to:

• Determine the extent to which the RISE project achieved its intended outcomes
• Determine the extent to which the participating organisations and CARM women engaged with different project components and materials.

Research approach

The evaluation employed survey methods to answer the evaluation questions. CIRCA designed two online surveys with participating CARM women and one with participating organisations, which were implemented and administered by DCA. DCA subsequently provided data to CIRCA for analysis and reporting.

Research Findings and Outcomes

The evaluation findings provided insight into the extent to which the RISE project influenced organisational changes and women’s progression into leadership. The evaluation also reported on engagement from participating organisations and women, and identified factors that supported or hindered engagement. CIRCA put forward a number of recommendations on how the RISE project can build on its successes and improve project delivery, participant engagement, and experience.