http://www.economist.com/news/business/21688872-fashion-making-employees-collaborate-has-gone-too-far-collaboration-curse

​After reading the text linked above, I came to the conclusion that academics should spend more time in the industry. Just about every one of their conclusions is something I knew from the first time I got threatened with the 'open space'. Before I ever heard of the 'open space office', I used to refer to it as a 'cheap way to cram more people in the same space'. Be it a desk to desk, low cubicles, half open cubicles or any other way to make sure you can hear every conversation in the room, every fart, sneeze or swearing. More people - more distractions. Collaboration becomes a choice between having a discussion where everybody is part of it (whether they want it or not) or going to the isolated 'meeting space' and losing the 'collaboration' part of the open office as well as your computers, monitors and whiteboard notes.