Readiness for change is a multidimensional concept that reflects the level of readiness, motivation and capacity of an individual or organisation to implement change (Matejun et al., 2024; Wang et al., 2020). It is a critical factor influencing the success of a change initiative, as it determines the initial support and ongoing efforts required for effective implementation. Employee readiness for organisational change can be developed not only in private-sector organisations but also in public-sector organisations. The main purpose of organisational change in the public sector is to develop employees into highly skilled experts with adaptability and innovation (Kumi et al., 2024). Government employees’ readiness for change is influenced by a complex interaction between leadership style, organisational culture, training and development and external pressures (Hameed et al., 2019; Kumi et al., 2024). They are important determinants of employee readiness for change, as they collectively shape the psychological, behavioural and contextual conditions under which employees accept or resist organisational transformation (Hameed et al., 2019). In turn, it can lead to more successful implementation of change initiatives, ultimately benefiting the organisation and the communities it serves.

Authentic leadership emphasises the importance of leaders being honest about their values, emotions and beliefs while fostering trust and transparency between leaders and their employees (Kaštelan Mrak & Grudić Kvasić, 2021; Yang, 2024). Authentic leadership is based on four interrelated dimensions (Grobler & Grobler, 2024). Firstly, self-awareness, where leaders have a deep understanding of their strengths, limitations and core values. Secondly, relational transparency, which reflects a leader’s commitment to fostering open dialogue and honest communication with their followers. Thirdly, balanced processing, which refers to a leader’s ability to evaluate information impartially and incorporate diverse perspectives before making decisions. Fourthly, an internalised moral perspective, where leaders’ behaviour is consistently guided by their deeply held ethical beliefs and fundamental principles.

Authentic leadership plays a crucial role in enhancing employee readiness for change by fostering a supportive environment, enhancing psychological resources and encouraging innovative behaviour (Hadi et al., 2026). This leadership style is crucial to the successful implementation of change across various organisational contexts, including public-sector organisations. Authentic leadership also directly influences innovative work behaviour, which is crucial for adapting to change. Employees under authentic leadership are more likely to engage in innovative behaviour (Hadi et al., 2026; Sengupta et al., 2023):

Internal locus of control is a personality trait that reflects the extent to which individuals believe that their actions determine their outcomes (Gyurák Babeľová et al., 2025; Xu et al., 2020). Employees with a high internal locus of control perceived themselves as active drivers of change, demonstrated greater proactivity and possessed enhanced capacity to navigate workplace challenges effectively (Syarif et al., 2024). An internal locus of control fosters the belief that one’s actions directly influence outcomes, whereas an external locus of control attributes outcomes to luck or external forces (Nießen et al., 2022). It significantly increases readiness for change by fostering personal autonomy, leveraging psychological resources and increasing commitment to change (Mujib & Rosari, 2023; Syarif et al., 2024).

An internal locus of control positively influences innovative work behaviour by promoting psychological empowerment, work engagement and proactive risk taking. Specifically, employees with a strong internal locus of control are more likely to leverage the trust, open communication and ethical foundations established by leaders, thereby enhancing their innovative behaviour (Grošelj et al., 2020; Kafeel et al., 2024):

Innovative work behaviour is a critical component of organisational success and sustainability, particularly in dynamic, competitive environments (Grošelj et al., 2020). It encompasses the intentional generation, introduction and implementation of novel ideas within a work role, group or organisation, intending to enhance performance and advance innovation (Al Derei & Fam, 2023; Kafeel et al., 2024). Innovative work behaviour is a construct encompassing: (1) Idea generation by generating novel and useful ideas, (2) idea promotion by socialising the idea and building a coalition of supporters, and (3) idea realisation by developing a prototype or innovation model (Sengupta et al., 2023).

Innovative work behaviour plays a crucial role in enhancing readiness for change by fostering adaptability, creativity and openness among employees (Hadi et al., 2026; Kumi et al., 2024). It also mediates the relationship between authentic leadership and readiness for change. Authentic leadership directly influences innovative work behaviour by creating an environment that encourages creativity and innovation (Cougot et al., 2025). Authentic leadership encourages innovative work behaviour, which, in turn, increases employee readiness for change.

Innovative work behaviour also mediates the relationship between internal locus of control and readiness for change. When employees engage in innovative behaviour, they tend to be more adaptable and open to change, thereby increasing their readiness for change (Xu et al., 2020):

This study employed a quantitative approach with a survey design because the goal is to examine relationships between variables using statistical procedures (Creswell & Clark, 2018). Cross-sectional data were used to test the hypothesised relationships among these research variables (Cooper & Schindler, 2011). A cross-sectional design was chosen because this study seeks to capture these relationships at a specific point in time, rather than tracking changes over time. This study employed a positivist research paradigm, which emphasises objectivity, empirical observation, quantitative measurement and replicability (Hair et al., 2015). The positivist paradigm is appropriate when conducting confirmatory research that tests pre-specified relationships derived from theory.

The population in this study was the civil servants in West Sumatra, Indonesia. The sample consisted of 312 respondents, ensuring the consistency, comparability and statistical power necessary for generalisation and hypothesis testing, in accordance with the principles of quantitative research (Hair et al., 2015). Sampling was conducted using a purposive sampling method, with the following criteria: (1) civil servants, (2) the organisation has experienced changes and (3) a minimum work period of 1 year. Purposive sampling was chosen because this study required participants who could provide meaningful responses to the research constructs, specifically public officials who had experienced organisational change and had at least 1 year of tenure.

Data were collected via a questionnaire distributed by email. The questionnaire used a five-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The research instrument was adapted from a previously validated research scale. Readiness for change was adapted from a six-item instrument developed by Vakola (2013). Authentic leadership was adapted from a 16-item instrument developed by Qiu et al. (2019). Internal locus of control was adapted from a four-item research instrument developed by Nießen et al. (2022). Innovative work behaviour was measured using a 17-item scale developed by Gkontelos et al. (2022).

This study used structural equation modelling with partial least squares for data analysis. Structural equation modelling-partial least squares (SEM-PLS) was chosen as the analytical method because of its suitability for the model complexity and the research objectives of this study. Specifically, it allows for the simultaneous testing of direct and indirect effects within the same framework while addressing four latent constructs with multiple reflective indicators in an integrated analysis (Hair et al., 2019).

Instrument validity was assessed through convergent and discriminant validity. Convergent validity was evaluated by examining indicator loadings; values above 0.70 were considered acceptable (Hair et al., 2015). Discriminant validity was assessed using the average variance extracted (AVE) criterion, where the square root of each construct’s AVE exceeds its correlation with other constructs. All constructs met this requirement, indicating satisfactory discriminant validity.

The outer loadings for the authentic leadership construct ranged from 0.794 to 0.918, indicating that all indicators for this construct make a strong contribution to it. The internal locus of control construct had outer loading values between 0.789 and 0.934, indicating that all items met convergent validity. The outer loading values for the innovative work behaviour and readiness for change constructs, as seen in Figure 1, were also above 0.7, indicating that all items were worthy of inclusion in further analysis.

Construct reliability was assessed using composite reliability, with values above 0.70 indicating acceptable internal consistency (Hair et al., 2015). Table 1 shows that all constructs in the model demonstrated composite reliability values above the recommended threshold, confirming the measurement model’s reliability.

Ethical clearance to conduct this study was obtained from the Universitas Negeri Padang Research Ethics Committee (Ref. No. 732/UN35.7/TU/2026).

Authentic leadership contributes to employee readiness for change (Syarif et al., 2024). Research findings indicate that authentic leadership has a positive and significant effect on change readiness. Authentic leadership, characterised by integrity, transparency, self-awareness and self-confidence, fosters a supportive environment that enhances employees’ psychological resources such as hope, trust, optimism, self-efficacy and resilience. These psychological resources are crucial for developing a positive attitude towards change and enhancing change readiness (Lin et al., 2025). By promoting open communication and building trust, authentic leaders can create an environment where employees feel empowered to embrace change, ultimately leading to more successful organisational transformation. In the context of organisational change, including in public-sector organisations, trust in leaders is a critical factor influencing employees’ readiness to accept, support and engage in the change process. Therefore, the higher the employees’ perception of authentic leadership, the higher their readiness to change.

The results of this study also indicate that authentic leadership has a positive, significant effect on innovative work behaviour. This finding supports the view that authentic leaders can foster creativity and innovation by creating a supportive work climate (Khan et al., 2021). Trust and honesty, characteristics of authentic leadership, encourage employees to reciprocate the leader’s positive treatment through extra-role behaviours, including innovative work. Furthermore, authentic leadership also increases psychological safety, an important prerequisite for employees to venture into new ideas and explore different ways of working. Authentic leadership involves developing employees’ self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Authentic leadership theory offers a promising framework for enhancing leadership effectiveness by promoting transparency, ethical behaviour and trust (Lux & Lowe, 2024).

Authentic leadership directly influences innovative work behaviour (Syarif et al., 2024), which in turn impacts readiness for change (Hadi et al., 2026). Authentic leadership fosters an environment conducive to innovation, which in turn prepares employees to accept and implement change effectively. Authentic leadership plays a crucial role in fostering innovation and adaptability within organisations. Innovative work behaviour, defined as the creation, promotion and implementation of new ideas, can serve as a mediating variable (Lin et al., 2025). When leaders exhibit authentic behaviour, employees are more likely to engage in innovative work, which prepares them to accept and implement change effectively.

An internal locus of control influences employee readiness to face change (Syarif et al., 2024). Empirical findings indicate that an internal locus of control has a positive and significant effect on readiness to change. Individuals with an internal locus of control believe that success and failure are influenced by their own efforts and abilities (Gyurák Babeľová et al., 2025). In situations of conscious organisational change, employees with an internal locus of control tend to view change as a manageable challenge, rather than a threat. This increases their cognitive and emotional readiness to engage in organisational change actively (Syarif et al., 2024).

The results of the study also indicate that an internal locus of control has a positive, significant effect on innovative work behaviour. This finding suggests that employees with strong self-efficacy are more proactive in seeking solutions, trying new approaches and developing innovative ideas (Xu et al., 2020). Internal locus of control strengthens psychological empowerment, engagement, and social competence, especially in a supportive climate. Psychological safety and trust are important mediators, enabling employee risk taking and voice. The interaction between authentic leadership, internal locus of control and innovative work behaviour is strongly supported by empirical evidence (Syarif et al., 2024). An internal locus of control enables employees to leverage the company’s conditions for innovation fully. Internal locus of control significantly influences innovative work behaviour (Xu et al., 2020). For organisations seeking to foster innovation, a dual focus on authentic leadership and developing an internal locus of control among employees is theoretically sound and practically effective (Khan et al., 2021).

The results also show that innovative work behaviour mediates the influence of internal locus of control on change readiness. The mediating role of innovative work behaviour in the relationship between internal locus of control and change readiness is supported by evidence that internal locus of control positively influences innovative work behaviour (Xu et al., 2020), which, in turn, increases change readiness (Hadi et al., 2026). Therefore, innovative work behaviour acts as a link, increasing the trust and control associated with an internal locus of control and leading to a greater willingness to accept organisational change.

Essentially, managing organisational change involves managing the human aspect (Matejun et al., 2024; Zainab et al., 2022). Employees are the primary element that shapes the organisation and the primary drivers of the change process. Employees are the ones who will accept or reject change. Therefore, the successful implementation of organisational change depends heavily on employee readiness and willingness to change (Waisy & Wei, 2020). Thus, the level of employee collaboration with change initiatives will determine whether the change succeeds or fails. This study has significant practical implications for organisational leaders, HR practitioners and organisational policymakers. Firstly, the research findings emphasise the importance of developing authentic leadership within organisations. Organisations are advised to develop programme development policies that emphasise self-awareness, integrity and transparency in decision-making. Secondly, the research results indicate that innovative work behaviour is a strategic lever in increasing readiness for change. Therefore, organisations need to create work systems that encourage innovation, such as providing space for experimentation, tolerance for controlled failure and mechanisms for new ideas. Thirdly, the findings regarding internal locus of control have important implications for HR management practices, particularly in the recruitment, selection and development of employees. Public-sector organisations can consider locus of control as a psychological criterion and design training to increase employees’ sense of responsibility and self-control in facing work challenges and organisational change. Fourthly, from a managerial perspective, this study shows that readiness for change in public-sector organisations cannot be built instantly through structural policies alone. Thus, organisations can build a work culture that is adaptive, resilient and oriented towards sustainable organisational change.

This research also has a few limitations. Firstly, the research design used a cross-sectional approach, meaning it cannot fully explain the causal relationships between variables or the dynamics of change readiness over time. For example, readiness for change itself may encourage innovative work behaviour, rather than the reverse. This alternative directionality cannot be ruled out from the current data. Secondly, reliance on self-reported questionnaire data may inflate observed relationships because of common method bias, so the reported effect sizes should be interpreted with caution. Thirdly, the sample was drawn exclusively from civil servants in West Sumatra, which may limit transferability to other regional, cultural or organisational contexts within Indonesia or beyond. Readers should therefore be cautious about applying these findings to public-sector organisations with different bureaucratic structures or cultural norms. Given these limitations, the researchers recommend several alternatives for future research. Firstly, a longitudinal study to examine the dynamic changes in employee readiness during the organisational transformation process. Secondly, future research could use a multi-source data approach to minimise perceptual bias. Thirdly, a comparative study across regions or sectors (public and private) could provide a broader understanding of differences in the determinants of change readiness.