Navigating Careers Through Wasta: Exploring Legitimacy, Internal Employability, and Subjective Career Success

Mohammad Akram Taamnha (), Selma Kurtishi-Kastrati (), Ihab K. Magableh () and Maram Al-Quraan
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Mohammad Akram Taamnha: American University of the Middle East, College of Business Administration
Selma Kurtishi-Kastrati: American University of the Middle East, College of Business Administration
Ihab K. Magableh: Arab Planning Institute

Chapter Chapter 26 in Economic Resilience and Sustainability—Vol. 1, 2025, pp 419-436 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract This study examines the impact of Wasta on employee subjective career success, considering the mediating role of internal employability. Based on data collected through a well-designed and validated scale, Wasta was investigated through three dimensions of legitimacy: pragmatic, normative, and cultural. The findings showed a positive relationship between Wasta and internal employability and subjective career success and between internal employability and subjective career success. These results suggest that when Wasta is perceived as a legitimate practice, it boosts an individual’s career success and satisfaction through improving internal employability. This study contributes significantly to the career literature by bridging a gap between informal practices (Wasta) and career trajectory attainment. It enhances our understanding of Wasta, a mechanism of social capital that functions not only as a cultural activity but also as a key potential facilitator of internal employability and career advancement, particularly when perceived as a legitimate practice within an organizational context. Furthermore, this research adds valuable insights concerning the Arabic workplace dynamic that contribute to the cross-cultural understanding of the career success antecedents and informal mechanism of social capital.

Keywords: Wasta; Legitimacy; Internal Employability; Subjective Career Success (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:prbchp:978-3-032-04218-7_26

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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-04218-7_26

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