University autonomy reforms in Kazakhstan have expanded the formal authority of higher education institutions, yet public universities remain shaped by state priorities, funding rules, accountability mechanisms, and performance indicators. This article examines what this tension means for organizational change in a state-steered system with historically centralized administrative traditions: Methodology and Methods. Drawing on Kezar’s change macro framework, it uses conceptual analysis informed by a multiplecase study of three regional public universities implementing international dual degree programs. Results. The article argues that external forces should be treated as a primary domain of change, not merely as contextual background. Scientific novelty. It develops a dual sensemaking and sensegiving model of rectoral leadership, showing how university rectors interpret ministerial priorities upward and translate them downward into institutional narratives. Finally, it introduces compliant transformationalism to describe leaders who use the language of transformation while operating within constrained autonomy - practical significance. The article contributes to scholarship on higher education change, leadership, and governance.