[hoodwink]

The open versus closed office debate feels new, but it's a pendulum that has swung for decades from one extreme to the other. The reality is that most modern workers need access to a multitude of workspaces: open, social areas for collaboration and closed, private areas for concentration. A progressive company recognizes this and sets its people free to choose the workspace they need for the work at hand.

[abecedarius]

I started in the 80s, and the trend this whole time seems unidirectional.

[hoodwink]

The pendulum swings slowly. Here's what offices looked like for many white-collar workers in the 1950s/1960s:

http://sites.psu.edu/leadership/wp-content/uploads/sites/806...

The 1980s represented "peak cubicle". The tech industry ushered in open plans in the 1990s.