How Wasta Practiced by HRM Employees Hampers Entrepreneurs’ Innovation and Sustainable Development: The Case of the MENA Region

This study examines Wasta practiced by senior human resource management employees, entrepreneurial creativity, innovation, and sustainable development in the MENA and why the MENA entrepreneurs and their home countries are not among the top 100 innovators in the Global Innovation Index. In addition, the study explains why senior human resource management employees’ Wasta practices impede sustainable development. The author used Amabile’s Componential Theory of Organizational Creativity and Amabile’s Model of Creativity and Innovation in Organizations, articles published in Wasta, secondary data from the Global Innovation Index (GII) in 2023, and the (GEM NECI) in (2023) to support the arguments. The author analyzed the secondary datasets using a qualitative comparative analysis (constant analysis technique) to analyses documents. The analyzed datasets include accessible online indices, electronic and databases from the Global Innovation Index (GII) in 2023, the World’s Most Innovative Companies Index (Forbes), and the Top 100 Global Innovators 2024 Rankings Report (Clarivate). The study results conclude that Wasta practiced by senior human resource management employees is more likely to explain why MENA entrepreneurs are less creative, less innovative, lag in acquiring sustainable development, and why their countries are not ranked in the top 100 innovative countries worldwide. Practices. Entrepreneurs should also understand why hiring fair human resource managers and supervisors when selecting candidates and promoting existing employees is critical. Moreover, the results might encourage policymakers to develop and implement new rules and regulations to tackle Wasta practices in the MENA region if they seek better innovative and sustainable development.