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Cubicles are bad for collaboration: you can't easily hear all the conversations around you that have absolutely nothing to do with whatever you're working on.

Cubicles are bad for collaboration: you can't easily hear all the conversations around you that have absolutely nothing to do with whatever you're working on. Corporate executives know that being constantly exposed to conversations on topics outside your expertise is great for collaboration and productivity.

rightbyte 3y ago
You are joking, right? I have had managers saying just this with a straight face so I have to ask ...
musicale 3y ago
I almost thought you were serious for a moment. Sadly cubicles aren't very soundproof or private (but they are still better than open plan for people who need to concentrate or focus.) University libraries tend to be somewhat open plan, though sometimes with study carrels, and students manage to get work done there. However they also typically quiet environments as well, there are no supervisors walking around, and falling asleep may be socially acceptable. The density might be better in some cases as well.
- midoridensha 3y ago
  Cubicles obviously aren't soundproof of course, but they're normally made with cloth-covered walls that do a pretty good job of absorbing sound, so offices filled with cubicles tend to be fairly quiet, and conversations don't travel far.
  - data_maan 3y ago
    Maybe in Japan...
    - midoridensha 3y ago
      If you think the laws of physics are different in different countries, I can't help you.
      - sanitycheck 3y ago
        I think it's a reference to acceptable behaviour in different cultures. Tokyo station in rush hour is surprisingly quiet even though it's a sea of bodies.
        midoridensha 3y ago
        Maybe, but my open-plan office here in Tokyo is much, much noisier than the cubicle farms I used to work in back in the US (back when cubicle farms were the norm). It's not culture, it's physics. With a room full of a maze of cloth panels (which are specifically designed to absorb sound), sound is absorbed and can't bounce around the room, leading to much lower overall ambient noise levels.

rightbyte 3y ago

You are joking, right? I have had managers saying just this with a straight face so I have to ask ...

musicale 3y ago

I almost thought you were serious for a moment. Sadly cubicles aren't very soundproof or private (but they are still better than open plan for people who need to concentrate or focus.) University libraries tend to be somewhat open plan, though sometimes with study carrels, and students manage to get work done there. However they also typically quiet environments as well, there are no supervisors walking around, and falling asleep may be socially acceptable. The density might be better in some cases as well.

midoridensha 3y ago
Cubicles obviously aren't soundproof of course, but they're normally made with cloth-covered walls that do a pretty good job of absorbing sound, so offices filled with cubicles tend to be fairly quiet, and conversations don't travel far.
- data_maan 3y ago
  Maybe in Japan...
  - midoridensha 3y ago
    If you think the laws of physics are different in different countries, I can't help you.
    - sanitycheck 3y ago
      I think it's a reference to acceptable behaviour in different cultures. Tokyo station in rush hour is surprisingly quiet even though it's a sea of bodies.
      - midoridensha 3y ago
        Maybe, but my open-plan office here in Tokyo is much, much noisier than the cubicle farms I used to work in back in the US (back when cubicle farms were the norm). It's not culture, it's physics. With a room full of a maze of cloth panels (which are specifically designed to absorb sound), sound is absorbed and can't bounce around the room, leading to much lower overall ambient noise levels.