["European Journal of Education, Volume 61, Issue 3, September 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nThis study investigates how authentic leadership (AL) contributes to organizational change readiness in higher education, with particular attention to the relationships among selected dimensions of authentic leadership, change efficacy, and change commitment within a Sino‐foreign university. Drawing on authentic leadership theory and organizational change readiness theory, this study focuses on two established dimensions of authentic leadership, self‐awareness (SA) and internalized moral perspective (IMP), and examines how they interact with change efficacy (CE) and change commitment (CC). Using an explanatory mixed‐methods approach, the research integrates quantitative partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS‐SEM) with qualitative thematic analysis to examine organizational change within a Sino‐foreign higher education institution. The findings indicate that self‐awareness positively influences change efficacy, which subsequently strengthens change commitment. Additionally, change commitment was positively associated with internalized moral perspective, suggesting that employees' commitment to organizational change reinforces ethical engagement during organizational transformation. The qualitative findings extend the quantitative results by demonstrating how authentic leadership fosters empathy, belonging, and employee engagement across the initial, transitional, and development stages of organizational change. Rather than treating authentic leadership as a single higher‐order construct, the study examines the distinct roles of self‐awareness and internalized moral perspective in supporting organizational change readiness. By integrating quantitative and qualitative evidence, the study advances understanding of the mechanisms linking authentic leadership and organizational change readiness and provides transferable insights for leadership practice in culturally diverse higher education settings.\n"]