[borgia]

>That style of interaction does sound a lot easier to facilitate in an open-plan office.

What about something in the middle i.e. small teams working in offices by themselves, who've sufficient privacy from the grand noise of a totally open-plan office yet can communicate/chat/etc. amongst themselves very freely?

[kenrikm]

Private Offices with open doors and a communal meeting place in the middle seem to be rather effective in my experience. You hear just enough of what's going on that you can join in if needed but also separated enough that a pair of headphones can put you in silence.