Octave co-founded Communication Training Consultants and teaches in the Engineering Management and Leadership Program at Santa Clara University. He was named Adjunct Lecturer of the Year in 2006 for excellence in teaching.

Experience

A psychologist, Octave has 30+ years of experience as an internal and external organizational development consultant and as a cross-cultural and communications trainer. He helps individuals and organizations develop the essential behaviors, attitudes, and policies to be effective in culturally diverse environments.

At Santa Clara University, he developed the unique “Strategies for Career and Academic Success” course, which provides foreign- born engineers and technical professionals with the know-how and skills essential to achieve career success in the U.S. corporate environment. Topics include American workplace behavior, power and influence, and proactive interpersonal skills.

At Intel Corporation, Octave conducted the first project in Silicon Valley to focus on the retention and career success of foreign-born engineers. The project included an extensive assessment of the Intel corporate culture and of the effectiveness of the foreign-born in this culture. The project led to the development of a program aimed at helping the foreign born engineers adapt to the culture and advance their careers.

He pioneered the development of training resources aimed exclusively at aiding pharmaceutical sales representatives to sell successfully to foreign-born physicians. His popular package on “Selling Successfully to Foreign-Born Physicians” includes a videotape, audiotape, and manuals, including a Culture-Specific Facts and Strategies Guide.

Expertise

Octave received his doctorate in Community and Organizational Psychology from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He holds certificates in the Organization and Systems Development Program from the Gestalt Institute of Cleveland and in intercultural communication and training from the Stanford Institute for Intercultural Communication and from the Society for Intercultural Education, Training, and Research (SIETAR).

He has traveled extensively in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and Asia. He served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ethiopia for three years, where he worked in community development and taught at Haile Selassie University.

He has published extensively on cultural diversity in the workplace, including: “Meeting the Challenge of Managing Cultural Diversity” in Managing in the Age of Change and “The Managing Diversity Movement: Origins, Status, and Challenges” in Impacts of Racism on White Americans.

Next Step

Please visit our Cross-Cultural Savvy page to learn how Octave’s expertise can enhance the success of your multicultural workforce.