[rb2k_]

I seem to be the odd one out in that I actually enjoy an open office setup.

I've had both and I feel there's so much more collaboration happening in an open office. I almost see it weekly that there's a LOT of learning through osmosis, listening in to conversations, ...

I guess I have a pretty easy time keeping up concentration/flow. So in this case, it "works on my machine" :)

[alistairSH]

How large a space and are you all colocated?

My employer is moving to an open office. Truly open, one giant space for 100+ developers, plus managers.

Half my team is remote, as are about half of the teams I work with. So, we are all on the phone/Skype/something all day long. And not with the same people. It's going to be like the Tower of Babel in the new space. I'm not looking forward to it.

[rb2k_]

Lots of people. There are some cozies (Think 4 thick curtains and a few sofas inside) or walls with meetings rooms between every 4-5 rows of desks.

Also: nobody really takes calls from their desk. If you want to do a VC call, you get a conference/interview room. Same for long-winded discussions or whiteboard sessions. You start conversations in the common area, but if it's a larger undertaking people might move into a designated space.

[iamflimflam1]

I'm the same, I love being in an open office. I can't imagine anything worse than everyone hiding in their offices.

Having said that I tend to stick to working in small companies. Not sure I would like an open office of 100's of people.

[jdbernard]

> I feel there's so much more collaboration happening in an open office.

The problem is that every time we have tried to study it, the opposite has been true. Are you sure your feelings translate into actual productivity improvements?

[rb2k_]

I doubt anyone actually correctly measured this without giant amounts of residual confounding. (As usual with most social sciences)

That being said: I am having a better time compared to sitting in a 1-2 person office room. So for me it's a win :)