A leader in practice-based research in people management

Queen's University IRC has a long-standing tradition of research excellence in the field of people management. We serve as a bridge linking the world of academic research and the world of actual practice. Through our research programs, Queen's IRC is committed to creating, promoting, and disseminating knowledge about the world of work, contributing to a better understanding of complex human resources and labour relations issues of the day and strengthening the base of knowledge for informed discussion and debate.

Our Research Mission

Building on our traditional strengths and in keeping with Queen's University Strategic Research Plan, the IRC is committed to promoting research and scholarship that will:

• Contribute to a better understanding of complex world of work issues;
• Support a transfer of knowledge through the sharing and dissemination of research findings;
• Enrich the academic environment;
• Encourage the use of research for problem-solving and public policy decision making/development;
• Encourage collaboration and reflect the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary nature of the world of work;
• Represent the perspectives of the key stakeholders;
• Attract outstanding scholars and researchers;
• Foster a shared learning approach by promoting mutually beneficial interactions between scholars, researchers, and practitioners through the discussion and exchange of research findings, strategies and practical experiences at symposiums, workshops, forums, roundtables, speakers series, meetings, and other venues that involve the key stakeholders;
• Foster an integrated approach to research and learning by enabling the Centre’s research activities to find their way back to the labour relations community through publications, professional development programs, and Queen’s University’s Masters in Industrial Relations (MIR) program, and by ensuring that the MIR program and other Centre programs provide support for our research activities;
• Achieve the reputation of being a leading research centre for problem-solving and policy-oriented research on employment-related issues.

Our Research Vision

The research programs of the IRC will:

• Create, promote and disseminate knowledge about the world of work with an emphasis on ideas, interpretation of concepts, and questions of public and private policy (Industrial Relations at Queen’s: The First Fifty Years 1987);
• Focus on the broad area of the world of work including employment and labour relations, organizational and management issues, and human resources development;
• Serve as a bridge linking the world of academic research and the world of actual practice by reflecting the perspectives of the different stakeholders and providing a “neutral” forum for the presentation and interchange of scholarly interests, practices and policy;
• Develop and maintain relationships and linkages with scholars and researchers, industry/business, government, and organized labour in order to develop a better understanding of important and complex issues and their implications for the world of work;
• Produce research that offers academic rigor and practical relevance, fosters an ongoing interaction between learning and research, facilitates the transfer of knowledge, attracts funding opportunities, and enhances the research infrastructure;
• Give faculty access to a network of experienced professionals and the opportunities to conduct firm-level and case-based research while giving the practitioner community access to leading experts and the latest academic research in the field;
• Encourage participation in research networks of scholars, researchers and practitioners;
• Share high quality, relevant, independent basic and applied research that is timely, objective, stimulating, and professionally carried out;
• Widely disseminate the research through our publications program in many forms including electronically published papers, reports and case studies.

Our Values

Several principles guide our conduct in carrying out our various research programs. The IRC will:

• Undertake research initiatives that support the mandate of the IRC and Queen’s University’s research plan;
• Feature a diversity of viewpoints from stakeholders and a high degree of audience participation and interaction;
• Support a transfer of knowledge by disseminating research findings, symposium proceedings, papers, and other research products which can be accessed by anyone with a desire to know more about workplace trends and issues;
• Follow Queen's University Code of Research Ethics;
• Follow the review process and guidelines of the General university Research Ethics Board (GREB).