Abstract
This study examines how leadership styles and organizational culture influence the eighth Lean waste—unused human potential—in contemporary organizations operating within the context of artificial intelligence (AI) adoption. Using quantitative research design and a sample of 200 employees from public and private sectors, the results show that leadership styles and cultural dimensions significantly predict five categories of human-potential losses: creativity, innovation, motivation, communication, and role clarity. Autocratic and task-oriented leadership styles exhibit positive associations with these losses, while democratic and people-oriented leadership exhibit predominantly negative associations. Organizational culture dimensions, particularly involvement, adaptability, and mission, strongly reduce human-potential losses. Although AI is not measured as an empirical variable, it is considered as a contextual factor that heightens the importance of human-centered leadership and adaptive cultures. The study contributes to Lean management research by integrating behavioral, cultural, and contemporary technological perspectives and highlights practical implications for managing human potential in an evolving technological environment.