[weland]

> but what the Cornell study found is that in open plan it's actually easier to "read" a person and see if it's an ok time to ask a question, and to quickly reply or say ask me later, and so forth, to efficiently manage those disruptions.

The Cornell study does not account for the fact that most people suck at "reading" a person. Yes, it's easier to do in an open space. Most people who don't work also ignore the result of that reading.

> They found it also gives us more courage to ask potentially "silly" questions.

Which can also non-intrusively be asked by e-mail, the communication medium that has carried more silly questions than air has done in generations.

> They noted that developer reactions to office plans are often biased towards maximizing personal productivity in order to maximize (short-term) personal benefit, whereas the company benefits from a balance of personal and team productivity.

This says nothing about the underlying mechanism. Yes, I am biased towards maximizing personal productivity, which means that I will gladly and reliably avoid obnoxious co-workers. Closed spaces help me do that.