I came across this article via a tweet from Roelof Botha @roelofbotha . The thrust of the article is that multitasking and distractions make us ineffective and unhappy. However, the passage about open-plan offices made me realise that part of the stereotype being a "success" is to escape the open-plan and have your own office.
This would suggest that we all know, at some core level, that being in an open plan office is less good.
But if so, why do so many of us (including me) choose to be in a shared environment.
Konnikova wrote recently about how open offices, which are widespread, distract us and leave us stressed out and less productive. It’s because they thwart our ability to focus; the space itself is structured for multitasking and a lot of distractions and interruptions. And yet, being able to focus is closely related to happiness.