Navigating wasta in business practices in Lebanon

Faced with severe social, political, and economic challenges, Lebanon is described as a weak state. Argued to be key factor weakening the formal institutions there, prevalent practice of wasta. This article seeks answer two questions: (1) Why wasta in business environment characterised by institutions, such Lebanon? (2) How can managers navigate use Lebanese context where it prevails, avoiding its negative outcomes while utilizing positive outcomes? Fourteen semi-structured interviews were conducted from industrial sector. The findings highlight that used due networked nature society, hardship, widespread corruption maintain power. It was found could beneficial securing jobs, removing red tape, gaining employment for humanitarian reasons. Finally, using include unqualified individuals, reduction organizations' productivity further institutions.