Delphi coordinator Marc Genty.

UCAR operates the Delphi Service to allow staff to query management about UCAR policy and practice in a confidential manner. Since its creation in 1974, hundreds of questions have been asked and answered through the service.

The Delphi Coordinator, elected by staff every four years, oversees the process. In June 2006, UCAR employees elected Marc Genty as Delphi Coordinator. Employees submit questions to the Delphi Service by contacting the coordinator.

Confidentiality is the key component of the Delphi process. When a question is submitted to the Delphi Coordinator, it should include the name of the questioner; however, before the question is forwarded to an appropriate responder, the name is removed. If you have a question or concern, but aren't certain how to phrase it, the Delphi Coordinator is happy to help. Questions and answers of general interest are published in full. Others are listed by subject in the online Delphi Archive.

Alternatives to Delphi

Staff are encouraged to query management directly whenever anonymity is not a concern. In addition, the UCAR Ombuds Office provides confidential assistance to employees and visitors to help resolve issues related to employment or appointment at UCAR.

Submitting a Delphi Question

There are three options for sending Delphi questions to Marc. Please send your question, including your name and contact information, either

– via interoffice mail in a sealed envelope marked "confidential,”
– via e-mail (this option does not guarantee privacy), or
– to the home address of the Delphi Coordinator (call the coordinator to get address information).

If you would like Marc to correspond with you at home, please include your home address.

Contact Marc Genty at ext. 1210, by e-mail at mgenty@ucar.edu, or at the Mesa Lab, room 44d.

Delphi Service Policy 1-5

UCAR's policy is to establish, maintain, and foster communication among all employees. The Delphi Service, administered by the Delphi Coordinator, is one means by which any employee may ask a question related to the operation of UCAR and receive an answer, while maintaining anonymity. UCAR Policy & Procedures Manual, Section 1-5, Delphi Service Policy

Provisions

1. Purpose of Service

The Delphi Service is intended to improve institutional effectiveness, employee morale, and working conditions by:

1. Giving employees the opportunity to obtain answers to questions or concerns about UCAR policy and practice, especially in cases where they believe their personal interests are at stake;
2. Giving them the opportunity to do so in a way that preserves the confidentiality of the questioner;
3. Giving supervisors and managers the opportunity to learn more about the concerns of employees;
4. Giving employees the opportunity to make suggestions for changes in UCAR policy or practice that would improve UCAR’s performance; and
5. Disseminating to all employees through Staff Notes appropriate questions and answers.

2. Delphi Coordinator

The Delphi Coordinator is nominated and elected by UCAR employees and is expected to perform the service as a one-person function. An employee nominated to be Coordinator should confer with his/her supervisor to discuss how the time and effort required will be accommodated within his/her workload. Supervisors must arrange workloads to allow an employee to serve as Coordinator, if elected.

Any employee with at least four years of UCAR employment, except those holding management positions (i.e., whose salaries are in the management salary structure), and who occupies a part-time or full-time UCAR position may be nominated for Coordinator. Nominations are invited by the UCAR President. They may be made by any person, and the employee may nominate him/herself. Qualifications should include high personal integrity, detailed knowledge of the organization, and the ability to maintain the trust and confidence of employees. The Coordinator serves a term of four years and may stand for re-election for one additional four-year term. No individual may serve as Coordinator for more than eight years.

3. Election of Delphi Coordinator

Secret ballots are sent to all UCAR employees. Election is by majority vote. If no nominee receives a majority, a second secret ballot is taken to choose between the two individuals receiving the greatest number of votes.

4. Process

The process for Delphi Service is as follows:

1. An employee submits a signed question in a sealed envelope, including his/her home address, to the Delphi Coordinator. The Coordinator acknowledges receipt in writing by placing a note addressed to the questioner’s home address in a public mailbox.
2. The Coordinator sends a copy of the question, without disclosing the questioner’s name, to the appropriate manager.
3. The respondent answers the question, or arranges that an answer be provided, coordinating policy-level questions with appropriate management personnel. Answers are due in the coordinator’s office within five working days. If additional time is required, the respondent must so state. Answers must be signed.
4. If there is no response within five working days, or if the coordinator believes the answer to be inadequate, the coordinator discusses the matter with the respondent and arrives at an agreement as to when an answer will be provided and, as appropriate, what subject matter it will cover.
5. The Coordinator sends the answer to the questioner at his/her home address, placing it in a public mailbox. If a substantial delay is involved, the Coordinator informs the questioner of the delay and tells him/her when an answer is likely to be forthcoming.
6. The Coordinator selects questions and answers of general interest to the staff and forwards them to Staff Notes for publication (unless the questioner has specifically asked that this not be done). Questioners’ names are, of course, omitted; respondents’ names are included.
7. The Coordinator maintains files of questions and answers, but the names of the questioners are omitted from questions so filed. Respondents’ names are included.

5. Information to Staff

Delphi Service information is provided on the Web at http://www.ucar.edu/delphi. The site contains the policy and processes of the service and a chronological list of Delphi questions and answers, plus frequently asked questions designed to assist staff who are considering using the Delphi Service.

6. Reports to Management

The Coordinator informs, as necessary, the President, the Director of NCAR, and the Director of UOP about the questions received; and the adequacy of the responses. The Coordinator may also initiate meetings with the President, the Director of NCAR, or the Director of UOP as needed.

Responsibilities 

1. The President is responsible for the process of electing the Delphi Coordinator.
2. The Delphi Coordinator is responsible for handling the Delphi process outlined above and for reporting to the President and the Directors of NCAR and UOP.

Frequently Asked Questions 

1. Why hasn't Staff Notes printed as many Delphi questions as it used to?

Because the questioners have requested nonpublication. Because those questions refer to specific people and/or circumstances, to ensure true anonymity for the questioner and a more substantial, specific reply from the respondent than might be the case if published, Delphi Coordinators sometimes agree to nonpublication in those instances.

The Delphi Archives, begun in 1995, provide the service with more visibility and, we hope, access within the UCAR community, by providing all interested staff the opportunity to see the chronological listing of all Delphi questions submitted to the coordinator.

1. How can I ask the Delphi Coordinator questions about the question I want to submit?

This can be done easily by calling Marc Genty at ext. 1210 during business hours, or by sending e-mail to mgenty@ucar.edu.  

The Delphi Archives

• See the Delphi question and answer page for all published questions from 1995 to the present.
• Search the Staff Notes Print Edition Archive (on OpenSky)for all published questions prior to 1995.

The following is a historic list that is no longer updated. It includes all Delphi questions from 1995 through June 2008. Questions with published answers include links to those answers; questions without links were answered confidentially. 

*Published questions and responses