The Psychology of Offering Wasta: Inferences from Narratives

Abstract

AbstractThere is increasing interest in understanding Wasta and its influences on individuals and organizations alike, but little attention has been paid to uncovering elements related to the psychology of offering Wasta, to understand how individuals make their decisions about being Wasta patrons. Extending on the article “Narrative inquiry: a proposed methodology for Wasta research” in Thunderbird International Business Review Journal, this article presents a set of narratives of five individuals in various occupations and industries who were asked to be the patrons of Wasta in an organizational setting in Jordan. The findings generated from the narratives indicate that the decision of offering Wasta depends on the type of network with the receiver, perceived recipient deservingness, the impact of offering Wasta on the donor, and the donor's reciprocity expectations. Through the narratives, a deep understanding of the psychology of offering Wasta and how it works is obtained. The implications of this research are theoretical and practical and are presented at the end of the paper.