This portion of Europe has always been geographically distinctive because it is seemingly

shaped like a boot. It has many small islands on its eastern coastline, but the two largest are
Sardinia and Sicily to the south.
Cultural guidelines for doing business in Italy
Over millennia, this land was divided into so many independent political entities—each with
autonomous governance, ruling families, language dialects, local customs and traditions, as
well as cuisines—that the various parts of Italy today are unique in various ways while also
sharing some common cultural values.
The following are some insights about Italian sense of identity and cultural values that
affect business.
■ Art of arrangiarsi means to be able to make do, to get by, to work oneself out of any
situation. This activity has been elevated to an art in Italy because of the fact that most
systems do not function as expected
In business terms, this could be called “creative problem-solving.”
Italians have developed ways to get around the system and accomplish what needs to be done in
a creative way, via connections and family ties.
■ Relationships with family and friends emphasize family ties, connections, and
relationships as bastions against the insecurities of life.
Today, everything flows from such relationships—from getting a job to opening a bank
account; everything depends on connections. The successful foreign businessperson
makes it a point to understand the connections and use them.
■ La cordata literally means rope or cord, referring to the practice of pulling along
friends and family in the climb up the corporate ladder.
People who find work in a company or government office immediately seek to be part of a
cordata, or network. And if they also start their own enterprise, gradually their friends or
relatives are involved in some way in the undertaking.
■ Bella figura literally means beautiful figure, but it can make or break a business
negotiation. Bella figura is the desire to make a good impression, to give a good
appearance, and to convey a certain image.
Italians seek to make a bella figura through their appearance, both physical and
economic, and their behavior.
■ Furbo is an Italian word that is very hard to translate. It can have negative or positive
connotations. It has evolved as a concept that describes how to outsmart one’s
adversary or beat the system. A funny example is that of the seat belt law. Seat belts
are now required everywhere in Italy, and the police will fine motorists if they aren’t
wearing them. Someone in Naples started producing a sweater that was made with a
black diagonal stripe from the neck to the stomach, so that when you wear it, it
appears that you are wearing a seat belt. So you outsmart the police.
Determinism
Italians are basically fatalistic, che sarà, sarà. Because of their long history of natural and
political disasters, as well as their experiences with Catholicism, they tend to believe that
nothing can be done to prevent things from happening the way they are destined to happen.
Insecurity is viewed as a fact of life. They will take opportunities in the moment without thinking
that they have control over their actual success.
Time sense
Italians are often multitasking. Conducting a meeting, taking a phone call, and signing papers
all at the same time are quite common.As far as punctuality is concerned, the north is much
closer to Northern Europe in its adherence to meeting times and time allocation; but in the south,
time flows at a slower pace, and people tend to be much more relaxed with appointments and
schedules.
Communication
Italian culture is high-context, although the north is somewhat less than the south. The Italian
language is very colorful and musical.
Physical contact
Italians are very warm, and it is quite normal to see men hugging each other or sitting or
leaning close. Women greet each other with a kiss on both cheeks, usually after the first time
they meet
Power-distance
Italians tend to follow more traditional roles of hierarchy. They seem to be very egalitarian in
their communication style, but they respect hierarchical structure. Status and titles are
important.
Individualism
Italians pride themselves on being highly individualistic.
They are very social and prefer to be in groups, as long as they are still viewed as unique
individuals.
Competitiveness
Italians are competitive, even though they put a high stress on relationships. Probably the
biggest areas of competition are physical appearance and lifestyle.
iItalian systems orientation
Sociopolitical forces
The Catholic Church continues to be a significant political and cultural force in Italy, even
though it has declined in power in the past few years. Italy is primarily Catholic, but a great
percentage of the populaton does not actually regularly practice that religion. However, the
Vatican has a strong presence in the formation of government policy, especially in the moral
and ethical areas.
Legal system
The Italian legal system and bureaucracy is infamously tortuous and slow, as well as
contradictory. It has been estimated that there are over 500,000 laws in Italy, many of which
have never been canceled since Roman and medieval times, as well as the hundreds of new
ones that are made every year. This makes the law profession quite attractive, as it is
necessary for every business to have a competent lawyer on call.
Thus, the cultural value of arrangiarsi flourishes in response to an overloaded system.