The Industrial Relations Centre has a long-standing tradition of excellence in research in the field of industrial relations. We serve as a bridge linking the world of academic research and the world of actual practice. Through its research programs, the Industrial Relations Centre is committed to creating, promoting and disseminating knowledge about the world of work, contributing to a better understanding of complex human resources and industrial 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 Industrial Relations Centre (IRC) is committed to promoting research and scholarship that will:
Contribute to a better understanding of complex world of work issues;
Enrich the academic environment;
Support a transfer of knowledge through the sharing and dissemination of research findings;
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 industrial relations community through our publications program, our seminars program, 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 Industrial Relations Centre will:
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 Industrial Relations Centre will:
Undertake research initiatives that support the mandate of the Industrial Relations Centre 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;
