India, Jan. 8 -- The open office concept - no cubicles and plenty of open space - was supposed to boost staff creativity and productivity. But things haven't quite worked out that way. A study issued last summer by Harvard University researchers Ethan S. Bernstein and Stephen Turban observed that, contrary to the claims of open office proponents, "removing spatial boundaries can decrease collaboration and collective intelligence."

In light of the new research, as well as many years of practical experience, a growing number of managers, office designers and psychosocial experts have concluded that it's time to rethink the open office concept and, perhaps, even ditch the concept entirely.

"It can be extremely difficult for people to conce...