• What is the purpose of the IRC’s research program?
• What impact does the IRC’s research program have in the world of work?
• Who will be interested in the research?
• What kind of benefits does the research program provide to people management practitioners?
• What kind of research is being conducted at the IRC?
• Who will be doing the research?
• How will the research be disseminated?

What is the purpose of the IRC’s research program?

Our objective is to effectively serve academics, researchers, and practitioners interested in the fields of human resource management, organization development, and labour relations by creating, promoting, and disseminating independent practice-based research.

What impact does the IRC’s research program have in the world of work?

Through our research and theoretical and practical analysis of complex issues, the IRC serves as a bridge linking the university with the people management community. By integrating academic and practitioner-based research, the IRC offers a diversity of viewpoints and a multidisciplinary and collaborative approach.

Who will be interested in the research?

Scholars, researchers, and practitioners are interested in quality research that provides insight into the ever-changing world of work and contributes to public debate and policymaking. Students pursuing degrees in labour relations/human resource management have access to independent research relating to important issues of the day and case studies of actual workplace problems facing practitioners.

Busy practitioners have different research needs. A manager of human resources or labour in a private or public sector organization or a union official looks for information on current practices, new trends and developments, effective approaches and strategies that have important implications for the employment relationship and the practice of human resource management in the workplace.

What kind of benefits does the research program provide to practitioners in human resources management or labour relations?

By participating in an active research program, academics and researchers benefit from a scholarly exchange of theoretical and empirical knowledge, the opportunity to present and discuss research findings on contemporary issues, and gain first-hand knowledge of potential areas for further research.

The IRC’s analysis and interpretation of academic research into concise, readable, and usable information on current practices and effective approaches and strategies, helps practitioners understand the theory behind the practice. The research also educates and informs graduate students pursuing professional degrees by helping them develop an understanding of the theoretical knowledge, problems and emerging issues in the field and approaches taken to meet those challenges.

What kind of research is being conducted at the IRC?

The IRC concentrates on areas of research that are of current interest to the people management community including change management, teams, dispute resolution, organizational learning, strategic human resource management, managerial and organizational behaviour, labour-management relationships, union approaches and strategies, collective bargaining, labour law, and public policy issues. This research has both an academic and a practitioner focus. The academic stream is based on the research being conducted by professors, published proceedings from research symposiums, and papers presented at the Don Wood Visiting Lectureship in Industrial Relations. The practitioner-based stream includes a case studies series, which are written accounts of problems that closely parallel actual organizations and workplace issues and benchmark surveys.

Who will be doing the research?

The IRC encourages the involvement of academics and researchers from Queen’s and outside of Queen’s, as well practitioners in the field of organization development and labour relations. The research staff of the IRC is also engaged in several research initiatives involving academics and practitioners.

How will the research be disseminated?

Our knowledge and expertise are built on a foundation of up-to-date and thorough research. Research findings and results are available in many forms, including electronically published papers, reports, and case studies. Most of these publications are available free of charge and can be accessed and downloaded through our website. Case studies, survey results, and reports are often shared with participants in our open professional development programs.