When I was working in offices I felt the cross pollination was actually superior in that environment. I could have a long (hours long) talk with a co-worker in their office or mine and really dig down into something and share a lot of knowledge (either general or tribal). Whereas with an open office you tend to try to keep things short because you tend to be interrupting many people instead of just one, and because you lack the almost conspiratorial intimacy that you can have with an office the sorts of discussions you have are comparatively constrained.
