Reaching agreement in Italy takes time, and the time is well spent. Italians expect significant agreements to develop through extended conversation, progressive understanding, and gradual convergence. The negotiation process serves multiple purposes simultaneously: it explores each party’s needs and constraints, it builds the personal relationship that will sustain the agreement, and it creates genuine mutual understanding of what the commitment involves. Rushing this process — pressing for quick commitments, treating negotiation as something to minimize — typically produces weaker agreements.
The time invested in thorough negotiation produces agreements that are more robust because both parties genuinely understand and accept what they have committed to. Be patient. Let the process unfold. The agreement will be stronger for the investment.
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