Italians understand true expertise as knowledge that lives in the person—in their experience, their trained senses, their accumulated judgment—rather than in documents, manuals, or systems. A master craftsman’s understanding of materials, a chef’s feel for ingredients, a lawyer’s grasp of how the system actually works—these are forms of knowledge built through years of practice that cannot be fully captured in written procedures.
This means expertise is developed through apprenticeship and experience, not through standardized training programs. It also means that processes depending on documented procedures are trusted less than processes depending on experienced, knowledgeable individuals. The investment in quality is an investment in people, not in systems.
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