everything you say makes sense. My initial thought is the best setup would really depend on the task. For really complex tasks I would guess that you'd want a

everything you say makes sense. My initial thought is the best setup would really depend on the task. For really complex tasks I would guess that you'd want a more closed environment. As a concrete example, if you're trying to make a theoretical breakthrough in cryptography, I'd guess you need an environment where you can seriously concentrate. For maybe a less complex task, one where execution matters the most, like web development, a more open plan where its easier to coordinate might be better. And obviously the quality of your co-workers matters a lot. High quality co-workers will have less questions and the value of training them up will be greater.