[Joeri]

The trend towards open plan is a consequence of a bad incentive structure. Most companies put the management of the workplace inside the facilities department, which is viewed as all cost and no benefit. When profit margins are under pressure the facilities department is usually one of the first places senior management goes looking to cut costs. A private office layout averages up to 15 square meters per employee, while open plan moves that down to 9 square meters. This allows facilities to reduce the rented building area by a third, which is a major cost cutting. Of course, the other departments protest against this, but since the senior management sees only the reduction in cost, and does not (want to) see the costs incurred by the move to open plan, they usually approve the move. The big irony is that the facilities department often assigns themselves private offices. They're not idiots after all, and they need to get some real work done.