When meeting Italian partners or colleagues, you may be drawn by sector-specific synergies, their distinctive way of approach to processes, their ability to develop high-quality materials and their excellence in design.
Perhaps you already have Italians on your team, and this too may be for one of these reasons.
In either case, being aware of certain preferences in Italian business culture and communication can help you make the most of your business meetings. Understanding how Italians approach relationships, time and decision-making offers you a valuable framework to avoid misunderstandings and to interpret behaviours that might otherwise distract or bother you.
You and your counterpart may have set an agenda and clarified the purpose of your business meeting, whether to explore collaboration, decide on a potential partnership, or address current processes or problems.
Even if you use the same terminology, your Italian counterpart may attach a different interpretation to it.
Setting the Right Tone: Agenda and Small Talk
Your Italian business partner regards the meeting agenda more as a tool to understanding your intentions and to building a long-lasting partnership.
In this relationship-driven business environment, personal connections and mutual trust are central to any future commitment – representing an essential part of Italian business etiquette.
Building Rapport Through Small Talk
This is also why meetings begin with small talk. While icebreakers exist in many cultures, in Italy small talk is not limited to set topics, such as the weather or weekend plans. It is situation-driven, inspired by a compliment, a recent encounter, or something as small as your choice of reading glasses.
This interaction should not be underestimated. It
- sets the tone for collaboration,
- offers insights into how you handle the unexpected,
- and opens the way to finding solutions to unforeseen challenges.
It also forms the foundation of the trust your Italian partner values just as much as you do. In Italian business culture, it’s how rapport begins.
The Italian Rythm of Time
Depending on the corporate environment, the meeting may start more or less on time. Use any extra time to look around the office for clues about corporate culture, network with participants, and engage in small talk.
A Flexible Flow
This creative approach to time also shows in other ways:
- Most Italians have practiced multitasking for most of their life and may continue to do so also during meetings.
- They are flexible with interruptions, turn-taking, length of pauses, and the rhythm of the conversation. This is what Edward Hall (1966) called the chronemics of communication. Reacting immediately to a statement, without a pause, is a common way of expressing interest. If this response is absent, Italians may wonder whether you are following the discussion or are interested at all.
- People may also come and go during a meeting. If this is not always formally announced or indicated in the agenda, it can be a sign of respect for the ideas being discussed or simply be considered self-evident (“va da sé,” as Italians would say).
Decision-Making in Italian Companies
If a meeting has been called to make a decision, the process in Italian companies may differ from what you are used to.
In family-owned businesses or more traditional sectors, discussions are typically opened – and often closed – by the most senior leader in the room. Along the way, everyone is expected to comment and share their thoughts.
In some cultures, decision-making follows a strict, consensus-driven sequence, where each step follows the previous one. In Italy, however, creativity and flexibility are valued as hallmarks of success, and these are not necessarily achieved through a strictly linear process. Once the floor is open, participants actively engage, and settled points may be revisited.
This applies not only to pricing but also to other aspects of a negotiation and collaboration. Multiple hierarchical layers may be involved, which can naturally extend the time required to reach a final decision.
Informal Exchanges
Many issues may also be addressed informally outside the main meeting.
In line with the Italian value of fare bella figura – making a good impression through respect and care – criticism should be expressed with caution and diplomacy. Maintaining harmony and long-term relationships is often the highest priority.
Building Long-Term Partnerships in Italy
These cultural patterns can offer a possible interpretation of behaviours that differ from your own business culture and guide you collaboration strategy.
In both cases, other elements such as the personal experiences of your partner, the regional context, or the company’s sector and size (e.g., start-ups, public sector) should always be considered when shaping a strategy.
We all value a good business opportunity, just as we value a good melody. What may differ is the orchestration.
Here, your mindset and openness to alternative interpretations can truly make the difference when doing business with Italians and building sustainable international partnerships.
Carmela Masecchia Schöpf
Intercultural diplomat, freelance intercultural trainer and coach
References:
Hall, E. T. (1966). The Hidden Dimension. Doubleday.
Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture’s Consequences: Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions and Organizations Across Nations. Sage Publications.
Meyer, E. (2014). The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business. PublicAffairs.
Turning Insight into Success: Strengthen Your Skills in Italian Business Culture and Etiquette
Would you like to build on these insights and strengthen your ability to act confidently in Italian business settings?
Our E-Learning Course Ready for Global Business Italy will take you one step further.
You’ll learn how to
- Build trust in the relationships-oriented Italian business culture
- Communicate with precision and impact across different situations and channels
- Navigate meetings and decision-making in Italy with confidence and insight
- Handle contracts, payments, and bureaucracy with greater ease
- Recognize cultural dynamics early to foster smooth collaboration
- Reflect on your own cultural approach to develop effective strategies.
With practical examples, reflection exercises, and tools you can apply right away, the course supports you in turning insights into confident action – and in making your collaboration with Italian partners more effective and sustainable.
Take the next step – and make your intercultural competence a real asset in your daily business.
