Alan Johnston

Dr Alan Johnston is a Senior Lecturer in Management and Organisational Development at York Business School, York St John University. With over thirty years of experience across Higher and Further Education sectors, he has held strategic roles in institutions including Liverpool John Moores University and multiple Further Education colleges. His academic qualifications include a DBA from the University of Huddersfield (2021) with a thesis on the psychological contract within academia.

His research focuses on understanding workplace behavior through the lens of psychological contract theory, academic citizenship, and leadership dynamics. Current projects include investigating academic staff behavior, student motivation, and organisational change. He leads a research team for the Humber and North Yorkshire Integrated Care Board's Communication Charter initiative and co-chairs the People in Employment Settings (PiES) Research Group.

Teaching responsibilities include managing modules in Organisational Development, Work Psychology, and Human Resource Management across undergraduate and postgraduate programs. He supervises doctoral students in HRM, Organisational Development, and Leadership. Notable professional activities include associate editor roles for academic journals, external examining, and membership in bodies like British Academy of Management (BAM) and Chartered Management Institute (CMI).

Recent publications explore topics like leadership during uncertainty, vocational education reform, and academic identity. His work has been shortlisted for the Alan Moon Prize at the UFHRD Conference twice. Current research interests include the impact of leadership psychological capital in further education and objectivity in workplace investigations.

Grants include £5,100 for the Communication Charter project and £2,900 for studying student identity in disciplinary spaces. He has also contributed to policy reviews for institutions like Humberside Police and the National Skills Academy for Financial Services.