Italian feedback culture follows a clear spatial logic: praise publicly, criticize privately. When you recognize an Italian colleague’s good work in front of others, you are giving a social gift that strengthens their standing and the team’s cohesion.
When you need to address a problem, do it one-on-one, behind closed doors, away from colleagues. Public criticism—even mild or well-intentioned—is experienced as humiliation, and it damages not only the recipient’s standing but your own reputation as someone who lacks social intelligence. The exception is structured evaluative contexts where public assessment is expected and ritualized.
But in ordinary workplace interactions, the rule holds firmly: share praise openly and generously, deliver criticism discreetly and relationally. Getting this wrong is one of the fastest ways to damage trust with Italian colleagues.
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