I'd definitely get more heads-down work done in a private office setting. However in that setting I'd mostly be annoyed I couldn't just work from my home office, since I'd be commuting to spend 80%+ of my time alone anyway.
That so different from my experience at two companies using the open office scheme -- at both of those, spontaneous chatting was very, very rare because it so easily disturbs everyone not involved in the chatting.
When I've worked in both cube farms and companies that had real offices, spontaneous chatting was common.
I’d imagine that if I needed to get up, walk up there and knock on my coworker’s door, I’d rather just message him.
And a text conversation and face to face one are very different and could lead it to different places.
No. Even when I visit my less fortunate comrades in the cube farms, I constantly feel guilty for opening my mouth because I know that there are 10 other people in earshot who probably don't have any interest at all in the discussion we're having.
>And a text conversation and face to face one are very different and could lead it to different places.
I agree, which is why I think it's important to make it easy to have face to face conversations by making sure that there's space to do so without disturbing my coworkers.