I wish I had noted the article when I'd originally read it, but a couple of years ago I read one which surveyed many of the creators of 'big products' in those

I wish I had noted the article when I'd originally read it, but a couple of years ago I read one which surveyed many of the creators of 'big products' in those successful companies, asking them about their working environment. Most of those companies did, it is true, feature open offices. None of the companies benefitted from them. Those who built the important products that catapulted those companies to success did so without exception away from their desk. As I recall, one would find an empty office or conference room and simply claim it for a few hours to get some work done. Another would go outside and work on a bench, away from everyone else. Another would work primarily late at night when others weren't around. The companies succeeded in spite of their open offices, not because of them. But many MBAs are little more than cargo cultists, following along what others who are successful have done without any understanding or curiosity as to the 'why' the thing worked for them and whether it would apply to their own organization.