Wake up world! Cubicle nation is being taken over by open office plans. At least seventy percent of all offices in America currently have an open floor plan.

The open office plan motivation for many companies has certainly been cutting real estate costs, while trying to sell the hope of greater collaboration with colleagues. Meanwhile, some offices have carefully looked at architectural design and layout to actually make creative use of their available space.

Conceived in the nineteen-fifties, the open office concept was initiated to facilitate communication and idea flow. Now, over fifty years later, the verdict is questionable to whether those initial goals are being achieved. (more…)