McGowan’s research explores organizational discourse and uses qualitative approaches to examine issues related to leadership and leadership development, women in leadership and management, perceptions of employment equity, work and family/eldercare challenges, careers of millennials in the public service sector, as well as managerial roles and identities. In addition, she has co-authored papers on the experiences of college transfer students attending university.

• Outstanding Research Paper Award. McLaren, P., McGowan, R.A., Gerhardt, K., Diallo, L., & Saeed, A. “Business without the math: Competing discourses and the struggle to develop an undergraduate Leadership program.” Association of Leadership Educators Annual Conference. Key West, Florida, 2012.
• Burns Endowment Fund Visiting Fellow, Faculty of Management, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge Alberta, 2011.
• Graduate Gold Medal Recipient, MBA, Wilfrid Laurier University. 

I have supervised independent research projects (graduate and undergraduate) and have served as an external examiner for projects examining issues related to leadership development and education, women in management, case writing, as well as work and family issues.

• 2016 Henstra, D., & McGowan, R.A. “Millennials and public service motivation: An exploratory analysis of graduate student career motivations and expectations.” Public Administration Quarterly (Forthcoming).
• 2013 McLaren, P., McGowan, R.A., Gerhardt, K., Diallo, L., & Saeed, A. “Business without the math: Competing discourses and the struggle to develop an undergraduate Leadership program.” Journal of Leadership Education, 12(2), 1-17.
• 2013 McGowan, R.A. “Handbook of gender, work, and organizations.” Book review for “Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: An International Journal,” 32(3), 338-342.
• 2012 Ng, E., & McGowan, R.A. “Work/life choices of women in senior leadership positions: Contrarian views from the top.” Published in the Conference Proceedings of the Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Conference, Toulousse, France.
• 2011 McGowan, R.A., & Runte, M. “Women managers in high tech: A discursive perspective.” Published in the Conference Proceedings of the 17th Annual Americas Conference on Information Systems, Detroit, Michigan.
• 2009 McGowan, R.A. “Managerial discourses of work and eldercare: (Re)producing, resisting and negotiating boundaries between private and public.” Culture and Organization, 13(3), 307-329.
• 2009 McGowan, R.A. “John Hamilton’s work and eldercare dilemma: Break the silence? Sustain the silence?” Invited for republication in: E. Raufflet & A.J. Mills (Eds.), The dark side: Critical cases on the dark side of business (pp. 24-35). Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing Limited.
• 2009 Bladowski, M. & McGowan, R. A. “The international career opportunity: From dream to nightmare in eight weeks.” Invited for republication in: E. Raufflet & A.J. Mills (Eds.), The dark side: Critical cases on the dark side of business (pp. 72-87). Sheffield, UK: Greenleaf Publishing Limited.
• 2006 McGowan, R. A., & Gawley, T. “The University side of the college transfer experience: Insights from University staff.” College Quarterly. Summer, 2006, 9(3).
• 2006 Gawley, T., & McGowan, R.A. “Learning the ropes: A case study of the academic and social experiences of college transfer students within a developing university-college articulation framework.” College Quarterly. Summer, 2006, 9(3).