Advocates of shared offices believe they facilitate communication. They do increase communication of all types, productive and unproductive, voluntary and involuntary, between the occupants. They do this at the cost of concentration and productivity.
Shared spaces also inhibit some valuable communication. When someone from another office wants to talk to one of the office inhabitants, they have to weigh whether the communication is worth interrupting two or more people, perhaps for an extended period of time. This acts to inhibit communication from thoughtful, shy, or junior personnel who may incorrectly feel that their need to talk is not worth the cost.
Knowledge workers need to control their environment for maximum productivity. This implies private offices that are large enough for a couple of visitors, and a variety of other work spaces available for larger groups.
The topic of people with their own offices who insist on using the speaker phone with their door open is left as an exercise for the reader.
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