Federal managers are increasingly turning to their front-line employees for advice on saving money and improving business processes.

The Veterans Affairs Department asked its workers how to fix the department's disability claims processing system, which currently has a backlog of more than 400,000 claims. The Office of Management and Budget asked federal employees to submit ideas for saving money; the White House asked them for tips on making the government more environmentally friendly. The Air Force wants airmen to suggest ways to save money and streamline processes.

And the Transportation Security Administration's "Idea Factory" program has generated more than 7,000 suggestions on improving airport security.

Most of these programs are new, and it's too early to tell how much of an effect they'll have. But managers such as Paul Dunbar, the chief of financial integration in the Air Force Office of Business Transformation, say they're good for morale — by making make employees feel more engaged — and they are confident the ideas generated will eventually save money and manpower.

"We have a lot of financial pressures, aging fleet pressures, so there was certainly a need for change in our processes," Dunbar said. "These tools help our commanders get more bang for their buck, and they help us to reduce the duty day, so airmen aren't working 11, 12 hours."

Most agencies have adopted a centralized approach to employee engagement. They've set up Web sites — such as OMB's SaveAward.gov — which employees can use to submit ideas. Often, the sites allow employees to vote on each other's ideas and to submit comments.

The sites have proved hugely popular with employees. At VA, for example, staffers submitted about 3,000 ideas and more than 6,000 comments on fixing the disability claims process. The department says it will soon pick the best ideas from the list and implement them. OMB's savings award contest, which ran for six weeks, attracted more than 38,000 submissions.

A big fan of this tactic is Jeffrey Zients, the White House's chief performance officer. "These types of idea centers are popping up across government. … These are incredible tools for increasing engagement and spurring innovation," he said.

Employees submitted more than 5,300 ideas on "going green" during a two-week contest initiated by the White House. The top ideas include suggestions to let more employees work from home, install motion-activated lights in federal offices and reduce the amount of paper used on the job.

Response to the GreenGov Challenge exceeded everyone's expectations, said Nancy Sutley, chairwoman of the Council on Environmental Quality.

"I think when we started this, we really didn't have an idea of how much response we would get," Sutley said at a Nov. 5 meeting of the Steering Committee on Federal Sustainability, which is deciding which of the suggestions to pursue. The level of response "shows the enthusiasm and interest among federal employees in terms of participating and making their workplaces more sustainable and greener."

Aaron Helton, a senior program analyst at the Office of Personnel Management who was hired through the Presidential Management Fellows program, said he jumped at the chance to offer his own suggestions and vote on others.

"I'm a big fan of these kinds of collaborative efforts," Helton said. "I think it was a great effort, and I'm hoping more agencies actually adopt a similar approach when they need some kind of input."

Two of the six ideas Helton submitted landed in the top 10: Ban the use of Styrofoam containers and plates in federal cafeterias, and power down computers and other electronic devices at the end of the day.

Many of the ideas have been banging around for years, and some — such as powering down electronic equipment when not in use — already are required by executive order, said Ed Piñero, who was the White House's federal environmental executive under President George W. Bush.

Still, Piñero said there is value in employees making these suggestions.

"Until these things become second nature, people have to keep bringing them up," said Piñero, who is now helping federal agencies become environmentally sustainable as a consultant at Parsons Corp., an engineering and construction company based in Pasadena, Calif.

Managers considering launching their own engagement initiatives should consider a few technical issues. One is timing: Longer programs give employees more time to submit ideas, but shorter programs might create a sense of urgency that encourages employees to post more quickly.

"The reality is the response drops off pretty quickly. You get the bulk of the ideas in the first week, frankly," said Nancy Killefer, a senior director at management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. "There's this pent-up demand."

Another issue is the amount of staff required to review the ideas generated by employees. If each of the 38,000 cost-saving suggestions submitted to OMB takes just 30 seconds to read and review, OMB employees would still need to devote more than 300 hours to the project.

Perhaps the biggest challenge for agencies running these kinds of engagement programs is turning their employees' good ideas into reality.

"You can go out and get a lot of enthusiasm," Killefer said, "but if you don't put it into action, you'll lose it. … You need to let people know that you're implementing their ideas. It's about recognition."

Helton, the OPM employee who submitted environmental ideas, said both of his top-10 suggestions seem to make common sense — but could be challenging for some agencies to implement. While there are alternatives for using Styrofoam, including products made from agricultural materials such as corn or containers that can be washed and reused, agencies will need to assess the costs and environmental benefits of various options. Powering down electronics is even more problematic, Helton said, since many agencies require employees to keep their machines running so they can install software patches and upgrades during nonwork hours.

The White House briefed senior agency officials on the initial results of the GreenGov challenge Nov. 5 and will issue a full report within two weeks. Agencies will be expected to incorporate many of the suggestions into sustainability plans showing how they will carry out President Barack Obama's October executive order on greening the government's operations.

To transform employees' ideas into action, agencies will need to develop reporting systems that clearly demonstrate the financial, environmental and performance benefits of each effort, said William Prindle, vice president of ICF International, a Fairfax, Va.-based professional services company that helps employers tackle energy, environmental and climate change challenges.

"There needs to be a system in place that allows people not just to come up with the ideas, but implement them and see what effect they're having," Prindle said. "That's what turns it from a suggestion box to a sustainability plan, where you've got the information every month, every quarter, every year, and you can tell how you did going up the chain of command."

Piñero said agencies should focus on those suggestions that are most compatible with their missions and requirements. A technology-heavy agency would get the biggest return from conserving energy used by computer equipment, for instance.

Still, Piñero said even the most popular and beneficial ideas could have a hard time seeing the light of day. Increasing the use of telecommuting — employees' most popular suggestion in the GreenGov Challenge — has historically run up against management resistance.

Overcoming such inertia, for expanding telecommuting and taking other steps, will take more than employees asking for it; it will require the will of executives and managers, he said.

Tell us what you think. E-mail Gregg Carlstrom or Tim Kauffman.