The Debate Continues
Forty years after the introduction of the cubicle, the debate over its benefits continues. Open-plan offices have
been found to have both positive effects (e.g., increased employee communication and interaction, flexibility,
ability to house more employees, reduced set-up and renovation times) and negative effects (e.g., increased
noise, distractions, perceived crowding, and decreased privacy) (Brennan, et. al., 2002; Maher and von Hippel,
2005).
We define “open plan” as an environment comprised of systems furniture and “enclosed private offices” as
workspaces completely enclosed with dry wall and a door.