In Italy, formal agreements and informal understandings operate simultaneously, and you need to understand both to work effectively. The contract, the regulation, the official procedure — these provide the formal structure. But alongside this formal level, there is always an informal level: personal understandings, relational commitments, practical accommodations that make the formal system actually function.
Neither level is complete without the other. A person who relies only on formal agreements will miss how things actually get done. A person who operates only informally lacks structural protection.
The skill lies in understanding how the two levels interact and when each is appropriate. When working with Italian partners, pay attention to both what is written and what is understood between the people involved.
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