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Italys Culture

Italys culture is a mix of old and new, as is the country itself. The country has grown into a

modern industrial force yet still holds on to a strong sense of tradition and history. Italy is known for

being rich in art, cuisine and history, yet struggles with stagnant growth, political turmoil and

humongous debt. According to the New York Times, the Encyclopedia Britannica describes Italy as lessa single nation than a collection ofculturally related points in an uncommonly pleasing setting. Italy

was not fully united until 1870 and has been swamped with political woes, creating a culture where

pride is rooted in history, but loyalty remains with the family because of distrust in the government and

others in general. The culture that unites them includes the Renaissance and the Catholic Church.

However, while the majority of the population is Catholic at 87.8% and Rome itself is the home of

Vatican City, only 36.8% of Italians today are practicing Catholics, making it hard to judge how much

Catholic culture still influences Italy.

In examining Hoffstedes cultural dimensions, Italy has a strong emphasis on individualism,

masculinity and uncertainty avoidance with scores of 76, 70 and 75, respectively. This culture of

individualism makes it very important for Italians to have their own ideas and objectives, believing that

happiness is achieved through personal fulfillment. Southern Italy is less individualistic and family events

like weddings and meals are seen as cornerstones of their lives. In northern Italys cities, however,

friends are more commonly meant to increase ones status and introduce one to higher up friends.

Many people who move to the north from the south find both the climate and relationships colder.

These colder relationships could be attributed to Italys status as a high masculinity society. Italians are

taught from a young age that they must compete and win. They show their success in extravagant ways

and are extremely highly success oriented and driven, seeing the work place as an area to achieve the

success they desire.

With a highly motivated workforce, one might wonder why Italy isnt doing better in the world

market. But, their high uncertainty avoidance leads to an aversion to risk and growth, which is part of

what has led the Italian economy downhill. Italians are not comfortable in ambiguous situations as a

result of their Catholic background and a bureaucratic atmosphere that emphasizes formality. As a

result, Italians are very detailed in planning and resist flexibility in planning. The combination of high

masculinity and high uncertainty leads to high tension, which is combated with long meals and coffee

breaks. Italys power distance sits in the middle with a score of 50. They believe hierarchy is important

and that inequalities are acceptable, especially because of an emphasis on age. Most of the powerful

people in Italy are aged, including the prime minister and president at 75 and 85. It is also acceptable to

flaunt your status higher power individuals have more benefits in companies and also show their

power through status symbols. In addition, Italy has a low long term orientation with a score of 34, as is

characteristic of Western cultures. This causes even greater respect for history and a focus on quick

results in business.

In the workplace, many Italian companies use titles and surnames, although it is becoming more

acceptable to use first names. In addition, traditional Italian corporations may have rigid hierarchies

with little visible association between levels, but other times they are relationship oriented and it is all

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about who you know. Italians are true to their stereotype in terms of family. They have a strong

relationship-orientation and family is a huge force in their lives. As such, nepotism is acceptable and

frequent in organizations.

The family is considered the center of their social structure and relationships with others who

become extended family are important as well. When it comes to punctuality, these humanrelationships trump being on time and while those doing business with Italian companies are expected

to be on time, they could wait 20 minutes for their Italian counterparts. Because relationships are so

important, time is money is not a common phrase in Italy relationships and connections are money

instead. Therefore, products that promote convenience or encourage isolation may not be received

well. Instead, companies should focus on products, services, and marketing techniques that emphasize

status as well as relationships with family and friends.

Another important consideration in Italys culture is that debate and decisions are emotional.

High uncertainty avoidance creates a population of very passionate people who must express their

passion to others often, as the stereotype implies, by using body language. Relationships and feelings

are part of logical decision making for those in Italy and these emotional connections should be

capitalized on. In addition, this tendency toward emotion leads to the fact that Italians tend to shy away

from the fact that theres an absolute truth and instead believe that truth changes and their families

adjust with the truth.

Finally, good image, or bella figura, is huge in Italian culture. Even events that are considered

informal often involve a tie and suit. Italians judge social status, importance and wealth based on how

one looks and as such attempt to look the best they can each day. In fact, it is considered impolite if one

is not dressed formally in business occasions and many will refuse to take those poorly dressed

seriously. Dressing to Italys cultural standards requires tasteful accessorizing and a good fit in order to

ensure bella figura. Companies would do well to capitalize on Italians emphasis on good image,

status, and superior taste or quality.

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