There is longitudinal evidence since the 1st Open office in Hamburg that these are NOT conducive to human productivity.
OPC Inc and our consultants have been providing clients with cognitive and mental function evidence about how open office concepts and low height dividers negatively impact us all. Need more evidence? Read some of the top studies conducted by leading organizational Psychologists and Human Factors Specialists. These designs save money on real estate indeed. The problem is the real estate, facilities and designers never have to hear from Manager and HR departments how much lost productivity occurs including employees avoiding the workplace entirely. If we can get real estate, FM, designers and architects into the same room as HR, Managers and Human Factors specialists (ergonomists who specialize in Cognitive Ergonomics) we would quickly see this trend towards open offices stopping in its tracks. Read more about this topic in optimalperformanceblog.com JESleeth and the Ergonomic team at OPC Inc.
The Open-Office Trap – The New Yorker