[rnovak]

    - The team has a good culture of respecting....

The problems I've personally found with the open office setting is that there are a lot of people out there who don't respect the quiet and peace of others.

For instance, in my office, there is someone here who will literally speak to their team members despite having an ongoing LYNC chat open with them, in a voice that you can hear from a football field away (opposed to a whisper/quiet/ "inside voice").

I think respect and consideration could go a LONG way to making open office plans tolerable for most.