A Good Idea Gone Horribly Wrong
I ran across this article from Fortune discussing the history of the cubicle. In my view, cubicles have been the primary catalyst of bad organizational communication. I've always hated cubicles and the silence that usually accompanies a cubicle farm in the majority of the offices that I visit. Regardless, it was interesting to read about the progression of the cube and the fact that the original creator (Robert Propst) was likely not happy with what the concept has morphed into.
I'm glad that there are quite a few companies and individuals looking into ways that we can reclaim the original idea of maximizing our workspaces. I'm not sure what the right answer is, but I know that it's not based on restricting communication. At least for development purposes, I think we all need to get outside of the cube. There are some interesting thoughts posted on the C2 wiki, but my recommendation would be to burn the damn things.
Disassembling cubes is nice, but the problem is that they stick around to haunt new employees or they go and spread their evil to other workplaces. If you burn the cubicles then you have a great excuse to have a party with your employees and you can all celebrate the removal of communication barriers. I haven't had the pleasure of attending a real cube bonfire, but I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to participate.
In the meantime, I suggest getting everyone in one room. It's hard enough to deal with our day-to-day issues that come up in the business world and sitting together allows for the free flow of communication and ideas throughout the team. There are justifications for needing privacy, but the times for privacy are fewer than the time that's typically needed together. Everyone needs a space where they can get away, but this should ideally be the exception and not the norm.
BTW, if anyone gets some buy-in to have a bonfire please invite me.