Brian Hunter Young

Doctoral Researcher with Stirling University, Scotland

management - leadership - organisational development - human systems dynamics

“I see research as disciplined curiosity: rigorous about evidence and what can reasonably be claimed, while remaining open to emergence, uncertainty and multiple ways of knowing.”

My research identity has evolved through the interaction of professional experience, previous research and a growing passion for understanding complex adaptive human systems.

After many years working across public, health, social care and voluntary settings, I have become fascinated by how people, relationships, organisations and wider systems interact, adapt and generate patterns that cannot always be predicted. Working where responsibilities, perspectives and authority cross boundaries has moved me beyond simply experiencing complexity towards wanting to understand and research its underlying dynamics.

Research undertaken through both of my Master's degrees developed my experience of qualitative approaches and deepened my interest in people's experiences, interpretations and different ways of making sense of the world.

My intended doctoral research takes this further through a multi-faceted exploration of complex adaptive systems, examining how leadership behaviours, relational dynamics and wider system conditions interact to shape collective action across organisational, professional and formal authority boundaries. I am particularly interested in the patterns emerging through these interactions, how they change under different conditions, and what this might tell us about possibilities for system transformation.

HSD has become an important influence on this developing identity. Standing in inquiry, noticing patterns, exploring difference and searching for what is both true and useful resonate strongly with the researcher I am becoming.

so what do I bring to this group?

My recent extensive literature review of HSD provides a strong foundation in its conceptual development, existing research and emerging questions. I bring this together with qualitative research experience, developing doctoral thinking and extensive experience of complexity in practice. Most importantly, I bring curiosity, constructive challenge and a genuine passion for strengthening research into HSD and complex adaptive systems.